# Chop Sticks



## Claire (Jan 16, 2005)

You guys always seem up for a food related story.  I was in Honolulu's China Town, looking for something interesting to include in a package I was sending to the mainland for my sister's wedding shower.  It was between Christmas and New Years, so there was a festive air (in Hawaii both new years were celebrated), and I had a guest from the mainland visiting.  I was poking around, and found some lovely chop sticks to put into the box for baby sister.  An older Chinese-American man stopped me, and said he'd overheard that I was buying them as a wedding gift.  He explained that the Chinese love plays on words, and chop sticks are considered a very appropriate wedding gift, because the written words are a play on words and can also mean "quick children", a gift of chopsticks is wishing fertility on the couple.  

I bought the chop sticks, and as I was paying the store owner said, you know he wrote a book on Chinese culture for people like you.  I took a copy of the book to buy, and the owner said he wouldn't sell it to me unless I went and got it signed by Dr XXXX (can't remember right now and too lazy to go find the book).  My freind and I grabbed the book (unpaid for, by the way) and chased down the doctor while he was buying fireworks for the two new years celebrations upcoming.  He signed the book and preened like a rooster while his wife stood shaking her head ... two young blonds (15 years and many pounds ago for both of us) chasing her husband down the streets of China Town like groupies.  I still have the book, my sister has the chop sticks (and two children, not too quickly) and what fun memories!


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## GB (Jan 17, 2005)

That is a very cool story.


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## mjsorkin (Jan 18, 2005)

Very nice story.  You tell it so well.


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