# Do you know how to use chopsticks



## foodqs

The great difference between eating the Chinese way and let us say the Western way is that the Chinese use chopsticks and Westerners use knives and fork- for main dishes, at any rate. This inevitably means that large piece of meat, fish and poultry are not possible at the Chinese table. Most dishes are therefore made up of mouth sized pieces which are taken up by chopsticks and transferred to the mouth.

...


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## keltin

Not sure what the point is of this? I can use chopsticks fairly well. I’ve seen others that are masters and can shovel mounds of rice or noodles into their mouth faster than I could with a fork or even a shovel. I’ve also seen many people use chopsticks as a spear, basically a single tined fork, to pick up huge pieces of meat. Then, of course, there are dishes such as Peking duck, whole fish, etc that are large but cut prior to serving. What exactly is the point here?


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## GrillingFool

Well, there was an edit in the original post by an Admin, 
so I am betting there was some spam in there.

Sugg to admins... put a little note in the post that you edited
for spam so we won't go more crazy than we are!


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## Katie H

Had nothing to do with the use of chopstix.  Was a selling link.  You're not going crazy.


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## auntdot

I will answer the question as posted - sure do.

Some forty years ago, stilll in my teens, I was on a plane from NY to Seattle, my first flight.  

Wow, no one in my family had ever flown before.

Fortunalely the plane was almost empty, no one near me as I tried to adapt to the new experience - including the rumbling of this tons of tin that brazenly thought it could, at least for a little while, ignore the law of gravity.

Had a book, but could not read and there were no movies in those days.

But with dinner they gave everyone one of those chopsticks that came in a paper sheath.  One had to separate the two cheap wooden 'sticks' by a bit of force.

Had no idea how to engineer the pencil length poles to pick up anything, but cryptic directions were printed on the paper wrapping.

Took me a while, but I figured out a technique that works for me. The exercise kept my mind from worrying about the audible complaints the fusilage was registering with disturbing regularity.

But I did it!  Was initially very proud of my accomplishment but then realized I had found myself capable of a feat that any Asian child could perform with ease.

Life has a way of teaching us humility whether we like it or not.

Yet the experience proved invaluable, at least from a culinary standpoint - I use chopsticks as casually as a fork or spoon.  

And I never could have had so many great experiences in NYC Chinatown restaurants, where for a while I could decipher enough of the Chinese characters to order the McCoi, without the skill.

Anyway, that is how I learned to use chopsticks.

Sorry about the blogishness of this post, but I did not know where to go with it.

Take care and God bless.


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## Rom

i can, i used to play with my pens as chopstix in class and now i can eat just fine *touch wood*


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## keltin

GrillingFool said:
			
		

> Well, there was an edit in the original post by an Admin,
> so I am betting there was some spam in there.
> 
> Sugg to admins... put a little note in the post that you edited
> for spam so we won't go more crazy than we are!


 
I saw the post before the edit, and it was a link in the sig. I didn’t click on it, but this post seems to be a spam or selling post. Katie took care of it!


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## jpmcgrew

I have not learned chopsticks very well but I am a master with my fingers


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## Dove

*using chop sticks is the best diet I can think of...LOL 
but little Miss Dove would get fat.
Marge*


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## Mel!

Yes, I know how to use chop sticks. 
I learned in China, because there were never any knives and forks in the restaurants I went to.

Mel


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## GotGarlic

When I was a teenager, my mom had a friend who was married to a Korean man; he taught me how to use chopsticks. I don't use them often, so I'm not as adept as I could be. A friend of mine in the Navy brought me a pair from Singapore - I need to get them out more


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## buckytom

is it me, or do koreans use especially large chop sticks?

has anyone ever used metal chopsticks, as used in a korean bbq joint? the extra weight takes some getting used to. the waitstaff graciously offers us gringos wooden chopsticks, but i wasn't gonna be outdone. not after a half dozen o.b.s and sojus.


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## GotGarlic

buckytom said:
			
		

> is it me, or do koreans use especially large chop sticks?
> 
> has anyone ever used metal chopsticks, as used in a korean bbq joint? the extra weight takes some getting used to. the waitstaff graciously offers us gringos wooden chopsticks, but i wasn't gonna be outdone. not after a half dozen o.b.s and sojus.



There is a Korean bbq place not far from where I live. We went there once, some time ago - I don't remember being surprised at the chopsticks, but it's been a while.


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## GB

buckytom said:
			
		

> is it me, or do koreans use especially large chop sticks?
> 
> has anyone ever used metal chopsticks, as used in a korean bbq joint? the extra weight takes some getting used to. the waitstaff graciously offers us gringos wooden chopsticks, but i wasn't gonna be outdone. not after a half dozen o.b.s and sojus.


The Korean places I go to use the same style chopticks as I see at Chinese and Japanese places. They are wood and the same size, not bigger. I have never seen metal ones and the larger ones I have seen were cooking chopsticks, not eating ones. I think they were playing a practical joke on you bucky. Next time they are going to give you two wet noodles to use


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## Uncle Bob

Dove said:
			
		

> using chop sticks is the best diet I can think of..




Wow!! Thanks Miss Marge!!! Ya just solved my problem!!


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## buckytom

lol, gb.

no really, all of the korean bbq places use the metal ones around here.

the larger ones are more for serving and cooking. but they are all metal.

here's a pic, from wikipedia. the korean ones are the stainless steel chopsticks in the middle, next to the spoon.





i saw a pbs show once about how a pair of big, silver chopsticks was a standard wedding gift from one of the parents in a traditional korean ceremony.


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## keltin

Well, I’ve learned something today. I didn’t know there were different styles of chopsticks, and I’d certainly never heard of metal chopsticks. I also read and interesting abstract from a neurologist that explained the effects of an accident he says is peculiar to Asian culture which is craniofacial injuries in children with chopsticks. The neurologist stated that the metal chopstick injuries are the least serious and rarely require surgery since the wound is smaller and there are no wooden fragments left in the wound.
 
I won’t post the link to the neurologist findings, but here is a link to a Wiki article on chopsticks.
* *
*Styles of chopstick used in different cultures*
 
*Chinese:* longer sticks that are square in cross section at one end (where they are held) and round in cross section at the other (where they contact the food), ending in a blunt tip.
 
*Japanese:* short to medium length sticks that taper to a pointed end. This may be attributed to the fact that the Japanese diet consists of large amounts of whole bony fish. Japanese chopsticks are traditionally made of wood and are lacquered. Some chopstick sets include two lengths of chopsticks: shorter ones for women and longer ones for men. Child-sized chopsticks are widely sold. 
 
*Korean:* medium-length stainless-steel tapered rods, with a flat rectangular cross section. (Traditionally, they were made of brass or silver.) Many Korean metal chopsticks are ornately decorated at the grip. 
 
*Vietnamese:* long sticks that taper to a blunt point; traditionally wooden, but now made of plastic as well. A đũa cả is a large pair of flat chopsticks that is used to serve rice from a pot.


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## keltin

buckytom said:
			
		

> here's a pic, from wikipedia. the korean ones are the stainless steel chopsticks in the middle, next to the spoon.


 
 Looks like we just read the same article!


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## YT2095

yes I can and do use them, and even cook with them, right or left handed also.


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## buckytom

lol, keltin. wiki is a great resource, when you're trying to 'splain yourself.

like i said (gb... ), the korean metal chopsticks take a bit of getting used to, but now i prefer them. natural bamboo, chinese style is my second choice.

i don't like lacquered wooden chopsticks. i fell like i'm gonna scrape off and eat the lacquer, and they're too slippery. and i don't like the very pointy japanese style, used for boney fish.


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## buckytom

YT2095 said:
			
		

> yes I can and do use them, and even cook with them, right or left handed also.


 
the image of edward scissorhands just popped into my mind.  

yt chopstickhands.


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## YT2095

I`m Equimanual, so right/left has no real meaning to me in a practical sense, in fact rather annoyingly when giving directions for instance I point "this way" and then turn "That way" as it takes me a while to figure which is which, and for someone my age it`s quite embarasing. I can even write with both hands at the same time too.


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## auntdot

Yep YT, chopsticks are often great as a cooking tool.  Unfortunately my right hand is totally dominant, my left is basically just there for balance as far as I can figure.  So it goes.


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## Alix

I actually prefer Japanese chopsticks and have about a zillion sets in my utensil drawer. 

I was told that when eating sushi (or I guess anything from a communal dish) you use the larger end to transfer food to your own plate and then use the narrower end to eat with. Sounds logical and more sanitary to me so thats what I've been doing.


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## Jeekinz

If you can't use chopsticks or have little ones trying desperately to get them to work, here's a trick:

Wrap a small rubber band on the very end of both chopsticks joining the ends together. Take the wrapper and roll it up like a 'cigar'. Place the wrapper about an inch in front of the rubberband. The wrapper acts like a pivot and the rubberband holds them together and opens them.


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## YT2095

I like the shape of the longest of the dark brown pair in BTs picture, that sort of tip you can pick a single grain of rice up with, and large enough to be practical for different applications too.

I don`t like the plastic ones or the metal ones, I`ve used them and I`m not impressed.

the Snap apart wooden ones that come free with some dishes are quite respectable too.


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## keltin

I was reading about Vietnamese table manners, and it discussed proper use of chopsticks. It said the further up on the _doi dua_ (chopstick) that you them indicates your level of mastery. The further down you hold them, the less skillful you are,. Children hold theirs far down close to the “food end”. Also, they say the chopstick should never touch any part of your mouth (lip, teeth, tongue) etc. This makes sense because they often use the chopsticks they eat with to get food from the serving dishes. If you aren’t good at using chopsticks, you can ask for a fork, but you should announce that you are inadequate with the doi dua and need the fork.....don’t just ask for a fork. Never stab your food with the chopstick. Don’t use them as a shovel. 

While you can get a fork, you never get a knife at the table. The Vietnamese have a saying adopted from Chinese that says “We sit down to eat not cut up carcasses”.

Here's a cool link.

And another more in-depth one.

I wonder if the Chinese and Japanese follow these same rules of etiquette? I remember seeing movies and shows where Chinese would hold the bowl of rice or noodles up to their mouths and shovel the food in.....but this appears to be bad etiquette to the Vietnamese.


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## Alix

Keltin, my post above says that the Japanese use the other end of their chopsticks to avoid contaminating a communal dish. So I would say there is at least one difference in the chopstick etiquette there.


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## keltin

Alix said:
			
		

> Keltin, my post above says that the Japanese use the other end of their chopsticks to avoid contaminating a communal dish. So I would say there is at least one difference in the chopstick etiquette there.


 
I just read that. Makes sense. I wonder if they do that with sauced meats and stuff....wouldn't you get your hands dirty? Maybe they invented the term "finger licking good"????


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## Alix

I am not sure, but I don't think the "holding the chopsticks further from the eating end" thing is as big an issue for the Japanese. They seem to hold theirs pretty close to the middle so they can use both ends as needed.


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## GB

I always thought that Japanese help their chopsticks at the furthest end possible. That is how my dad held his when I was growing up and mom always said that was the Japanese style. Of course that does not mean she was right


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## Alix

I don't know GB, I have never been to Japan. I just read about this in a Sushi Etiquette book, and observed the Japanese patrons at the restaurant I frequent for my sushi fix. They seem to hold their chopsticks close to the wide end, but leave room to use them. And they DO seem to use them as I mentioned. 

Any folks of Asian descent able to clarify any of this for us?


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## VeraBlue

I know it's not considered impolite to take a large piece of meat or vegetable, (one that is not bite size), take a bite from it, and return it to your own plate while you chew what is in your mouth.

I prefer chinese chop sticks because I prefer the square shape to the round of japanese chop sticks.  

You realize, of course, that I'm now jonesing for kung pao chicken...?


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## BreezyCooking

Actually, I always understood that the Japanese eat nigiri & maki sushi with their fingers - not with chopsticks at all.  That's how I always saw it done in the Japanese restaurants in NY, & when dining in Japanese restaurants with Japanese clientele here in VA.


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## GB

BreezyCooking said:
			
		

> Actually, I always understood that the Japanese eat nigiri & maki sushi with their fingers - not with chopsticks at all.  That's how I always saw it done in the Japanese restaurants in NY, & when dining in Japanese restaurants with Japanese clientele here in VA.


Both ways are correct. You can eat it with your fingers (it is considered finger food), but chopsticks are also acceptable.


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## Jeekinz

Can ya just stab the food and eat it that way?


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## keltin

Jeekinz said:
			
		

> Can ya just stab the food and eat it that way?


 
Not according to the Vietnamese. Stabbing food is poor etiquette according to them. I don’t know about Chinese or Japanese.....but I have seen people do it.......they weren’t Asian though.


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## GB

That would be considered impolite.


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## YT2095

and also difficult with flat ended, although if your Partner doesn`t mind X quantity in her lap as result of your efforts....


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## keltin

GB said:
			
		

> That would be considered impolite.


 
It seems there are a LOT of Western ways that are impolite. I often times really wished we had more “discipline” and etiquette here like they do in Asia. When I was taking martial arts, my last Sensei was very traditional with etiquette and mannerisms. Not all Sensei are that way though. I had one instructor that was very good, and a national champion, but he was very sports oriented as opposed to the art and discipline. I left that dojo after a very short while because of that.


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## GB

I do not think we are any more or any less polite than our Eastern friends. We have plenty of etiquette rules as well. I have have seen plenty of Asians be impolite or rude even. That is not to say that most or all are, but we need to judge people as individuals, not based on a region.


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## keltin

GB said:
			
		

> I do not think we are any more or any less polite than our Eastern friends. We have plenty of etiquette rules as well. I have have seen plenty of Asians be impolite or rude even. That is not to say that most or all are, but we need to judge people as individuals, not based on a region.


 
True oh wise one.


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## Alix

Sliding only SLIGHTLY off topic, most Asians think nothing of chewing with their mouths open and yet that is a very big Western no no. As is burping at the table in most Western cultures. Different strokes for different folks.


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## buckytom

umm, does anyone realize how many vastly different asian peoples and cultures there are? asia is huge, so it's difficult to try to get your occidental minds around the numbers.

i'm sorry to be so impolite to point out that it's remarkably ignorant to assume such a diverse and far reaching spectrum of cultures as having only a few traditions or rules of etiquette. 

 

(that's the most asian looking smiley i could find in our list. i wasn't being judgemental.)

i'd bet it's as regional as any of our western european based traditions. maybe worse, the sneaky, mathematical bastids.  

getting back to chopsticks, pleade read the ENTIRE wikipedia entry for chopsticks, and general rules of etiquette. it'll help answer some of the previous questions.


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## Dave Hutchins

Yes I can use them I learned quick I had just got to Tokyo and was hungry and all they had was wooden chop sticks, live there for 2 yrs. and was quite proficient with them still use them 45 yrs later


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## lindatooo

My ex-FIL taught me to use chopsticks years ago using a crumpled up cigarette wrapper.  Once you learn to pick that up you can pick up just about anything! 

First you had me drooling over grilled peaches and now I want sushi!


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## GB

I learned in the 3rd or 4th grade. We had to do reports on countries. You needed to make a food from the country you were doing your report on. The one exception was whoever did China could instead teach people how to use chopsticks. They would bring in enough for everyone and then make a big pile of popcorn. You had to use the chopsticks to eat the popcorn. Once you finished you could have more. Needless to say I learned how to use them very quickly since I wanted more


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## Alix

buckytom said:
			
		

> umm, does anyone realize how many vastly different asian peoples and cultures there are? asia is huge, so it's difficult to try to get your occidental minds around the numbers.
> 
> i'm sorry to be so impolite to point out that it's remarkably ignorant to assume such a diverse and far reaching spectrum of cultures as having only a few traditions or rules of etiquette.


 
BT, if that was directed at me for my generalization about Asian cultures please forgive me. I am indeed well aware of how many cultures there are and how many different traditions etc go along with that. However, in the interest of being brief I generalize, as I am sure many of us do. And I must have missed the section where we all assumed there were only a few traditions or etiquette. Can I get you a nice cup of tea my friend? A little sencha perhaps? It sounds like you need some TLC and maybe some caffeine.


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## buckytom

it wasn't directed at you alix. i'm sorry you may have taken it that way.

and yes, a cup of tea would be nice. 

having seen what my asian friends go through, being called oriental, like a rug or piece of furniture, or worse, "chinese", even though they're from an entirely different country a third of the world away, it hits a sore spot in me to hear such generalizations.

it would be like someone saying that canadians are exactly the same as people from the united states, just a little chillier.


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## GB

Bucky, were you directing your comment at one person or at everyone? You said "Does _anyone_ realize...". That makes it sound like you think multiple people have an issue with this (a bit of a generalization yourself). I think most people here DO realize the differences. I know I do.


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## Alix

Oh honey, we get that ALL the time! (And we just smile and spit in their tea before we hand it to them)

All kidding aside BT, I completely understand your point and was genuinely apologizing if it was my statement that caused offense. I tend to edit myself rather severely as I can be rather loquacious at times. (I know that surprises you all to heck). Just to give some credence to my words, I should add that my girls both attended elementary school at a Mandarin language immersion school. They were both in the english program, but they have learned a whole lot about the culture etc. And let me tell you, the New Years party ROCKS! And you know how schools do hot lunch days? Well, their school does Chopstick lunches. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!! Very cool.


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## Chopstix

I'm of Chinese immigrant stock from both sides, born and raised in an Asian country some distance from China. I grew up using chopsticks once in a while at the table.  Given my immigrant mixed-cultural environment, I'm definitely _not_ an authority on the subject of Chinese chopsticks usage, let alone Asian chopsticks usage. 

From my personal experience however, there is a correct way of holding/using chopsticks, in terms of finger positions.  You'd be surprised to know that not all Chinese know this.  (I only learned this myself when I visited an uncle in mainland China.) Also, holding the chopsticks 3/4 to 4/5 of the way up from the food end is considered more elegant.  Any lower than this would appear gauche. Picking food up from the serving plate with the food end of the chopsticks is okay as long as you don't touch the rest of the food.  People normally use the wrong end when serving food to somebody else's plate. It just shows courtesy. 

Also from my experience, whether you hold the chopsticks wrongly or not, it's really no big deal.  Not to my parents nor to our elders. Especially if you're not Asian.  It's a non-issue.  (In fact, some of my siblings hold chopsticks incorrectly.)  Now, a non-Asian holding chopsticks correctly will defnitely impress those who know better and may even elicit admiring comments and questions as to how the person learned it.


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## Chopstix

Thank you Bucky and the others for your sensitivities in avoiding lumping Asians together and respecting the individual Asian cultures. To this day, I find it jarring and even upsetting to see westerners use 'Chinese' as a generic term to mean Asian. 

Editted: A while back in one of the threads here this happened, where the term 'Chinese' was used to refer to all things Oriental, including Japanese. In this particular case, given the historical tensions between China and Japan, it was as wrong as somebody using the term 'French' to include all things German (former WWII occupier).

I am thankful for the fact that there is growing cultural awareness now among people in the world, whether through food, technology, the arts, etc. and this can only be for the good of all.

Ok, I'm getting off the soap box now.  Thank you for your attention.


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## BBQ Mikey

I am an American with no noticiable traces of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc in me. I did take 5 years of Japanese in high school, and while I retained relatively little, we did a few lessons on using chopsticks, taught to a foreigner's prespective.

To make oneself look least foolish as possible, hold one chop stick between your index and middle finger, this is the "sturdy base" in my experience, a more experienced chopstick pro may disagree. Hold the other chopstick in similar fashion to holding a pen or pencil as if about to write, between the index and thumb. Slide your finger and thumb up as to not touch your food with it, a bit more to seem elegant (just learned that!). The chopstick you hold like a pencil is the one you should be most dilligent with, which most foreigners would find agreeable since those are our more dexterious fingers. 

Hope my 2 cents may have helped a beginner out there. Peace!


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## bullseye

That's how I was taught, too, BBQ Mikey.  I don't use chopsticks often, but I consider myself competent enough to keep the food off me and get it to the mouth.

I have never used the metal ones Bucky refers to, but I am not fond of laquered ones; I find them slippery.  My favorites were a friend's.  They were made from ivory, squarish and carved at the grip end and round and blunt at the food end.  I find the cheap wooden ones quite satisfactory.


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## CharlieD

I always thought that I can eat with chop sticks pretty well. The other day I was seating in the park, waiting for my son to come out for lunch and there were this asian couple (do not know where they were from) they were eating some take out. They were holding and operating the chop sticks completely diferent than the way I do it. I'm sure they do it the right way and not me.


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## keltin

Here’s a video showing one way to use chopsticks. This is the same way I use them. She has contact with them at about the halfway point and abut 1/4 of the chopsticks behind her hand. She’s using ceramic chopsticks which I’ve never tried before. 

For the scientifically inclined, here is a video showing how to eat (drink?) tea (liquid tea) with chopsticks in zero gravity.


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## foodqs

there is picture about how to use chopstix


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## overout

Even though the basis of the topic was spam, I still felt like I needed to give a "Yes" to the question.  Thanks to my interest being sparked in trying sushi, I've come to know how to use chopsticks relatively well.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North

I can and do use chopstix.  I have never had anyone show me how to use them correctly and so don't know if I am or not.  But I try my best nad have come up with something that works for me.

This thread has been very interesting and informative.  It gives me new knowledge so that I can improve my chopstix skills.

As for lumping all Asians together, that's really no big deal for me, as I purposely try to lump all of humanity together.  I try to see no difference between one group of people and another.  That way, I can avoid predjudices and pre-supposed traits.

Yes, I do know their are cultural differences between differing people.  But I tend to get to the basics.  We all want to live good lives and most importantly, provide good lives for our families.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## jet

I have never used chopsticks and this thread has piqued my curiosity.  I checked Google and have found two different ways to hold the chopsticks.  One method uses the first and second fingers, while the other uses the first three fingers.  Is one method more correct, or is it simply a matter of cultural differences?


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## Chopstix

The correct way as I know it (which my uncle from mainland China lauded as proper and correct) uses the thumb and next three fingers.  Only the pinky is not used.  

Is my uncle correct? Maybe, maybe not.  Maybe somebody else had a different upbringing and therefore was told differently too.


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## decolady

I eat left handed and have used chopsticks for years, though I have recently found out that is likely improper in some Eastern countries.  When our daughters came along it was interesting trying to teach them to use them right handed.


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## letscook

I saw on a show -don't remmember where- but this person took a spring from a clothes pin and then inserted the chopsticks in the spring where the wooden part of the clothes pin was and then use his easy spring loaded chopstixs

also I have purchased small wooden tongs for people who couldn't use chopsticks.

you usually can find them in a kitchen suppy store.  I think they also sell them for taking toast out of a toaster.   they work great for kids that want to feel like they are using chop stixs


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## bknox

I learned to use chop sticks by the illustrations on the wrapper and by using them for almost everything until I felt comfortable. Pop up a big bag of pop corn and go at it with some chop sticks. After a while you will get the hang of it. I think my biggest problem was using to much pressure and the food would snap out of my grip. Patients Grasshoppper, if small children can figure it out I have faith you will master the chop sticks.


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## jet

I picked up some chopsticks at the store last night after dinner but have not had a chance to use them.  I went to a Japanese restaurant for lunch today.  I would not have asked for chopsticks but since every place setting included both a fork and chopsticks, I decided to give it try.  I was able to get all of the chicken, and most of the vegetables and noodles.  I had to resort to the fork for a few stray noodles, a couple of thin onions that were stuck to the plate and the rice.  As for the rice, does anyone have any advice?


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## Bilby

jet said:


> I picked up some chopsticks at the store last night after dinner but have not had a chance to use them. I went to a Japanese restaurant for lunch today. I would not have asked for chopsticks but since every place setting included both a fork and chopsticks, I decided to give it try. I was able to get all of the chicken, and most of the vegetables and noodles. I had to resort to the fork for a few stray noodles, a couple of thin onions that were stuck to the plate and the rice. As for the rice, does anyone have any advice?


Keep it dry - don't add any dressing or sauce to the rice so that it stays clumpy. Much easier to pick up that way.  Also, if served in the bowl, you can raise the bowl closer to your mouth so it becomes a bit more of a shovelling technique. Seems to be au fait in all the Japanese, Chinese, Korean and Thai restaurants that I go to.


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## jet

Bilby said:


> Keep it dry - don't add any dressing or sauce to the rice so that it stays clumpy. Much easier to pick up that way.  Also, if served in the bowl, you can raise the bowl closer to your mouth so it becomes a bit more of a shovelling technique. Seems to be au fait in all the Japanese, Chinese, Korean and Thai restaurants that I go to.



That makes sense.  Unfortunately, the rice at the restaurant was none of the things you mentioned.


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## Bilby

Okay then!! You end up eating the rice painstakingly slowly as you struggle to grasp a single grain of rice at a time!!LOL  That's been my experience when it is overly moist.  Push it together as best you can and shovel.  Not proper, but you could discreetly place your finger at the side of the plate and push the rice against your finger to stop the rice going everywhere as you try to grasp it.


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## GB

For rice, you basically keep the sticks very close together and use then like a shovel. It takes some practice, but you can get a good amount of rice on the sticks this way. Just keep practicing.


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## Billdolfski

I like chopsticks.  I usually just use the disposable bamboo guys, I have some nice ones but I don't even know if I've ever used them.


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## LadyCook61

Yes I know how to use them.  When I was married to ex , we use to frequent chinese restaurant a lot , we went with his mother and step father.


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## Cooper'sMom

foodqs said:


> The great difference between eating the Chinese way and let us say the Western way is that the Chinese use chopsticks and Westerners use knives and fork- for main dishes, at any rate. This inevitably means that large piece of meat, fish and poultry are not possible at the Chinese table. Most dishes are therefore made up of mouth sized pieces which are taken up by chopsticks and transferred to the mouth.
> 
> ...


They do not use knives either because their food is soft enough to use the chopsticks to pick their food off the plate.

Yes, I know how to use a chopsticks. I use it all the time for eating unless otherwise we have visitors. I also use chopsticks for stirring my food in the wok. I have a collection of chopsticks for the table too, some for men, some for women and a little collection for children. I have ceramic ones, wooden ones and metal ones, too...and different designs. I love chopsticks.


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## CantCookButLoveToEat

*chopsticks*

the way i see it, you either
1) don't know how to use chopsticks
2) use it the wrong way (me)
3) use it the correct way

but most importantly, dont hold chopsticks too close to the serving end - it looks weird.

unless your mainland chinese, its not uncommon to fall under 2)/1)

so what im trying to say is: if you can't use chopsticks, use a fork.


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## Jeff G.

And remember, if eating off of a communal platter, you reverse the sticks when removing food from the platter so the end that goes in your mouth doesn't touch the rest of the food.


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## Callisto in NC

linguini said:


> One thing that really fascinates me is that westerners will use chopsticks with plates.  I just don't understand it.  How do you eat rice with it? It just makes me laugh.  I will advise all my western colleagues that if they want to use chopsticks, please use a bowl and not use a plate.


My simple solution to that problem is I don't eat rice.


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## TyPiece

Jeff G. said:


> And remember, if eating off of a communal platter, you reverse the sticks when removing food from the platter so the end that goes in your mouth doesn't touch the rest of the food.


 
Good tip!

Whenever im out for chinese it feels wierd to use a knife and fork anymore.


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## Callisto in NC

Jeff G. said:


> And remember, if eating off of a communal platter, you reverse the sticks when removing food from the platter so the end that goes in your mouth doesn't touch the rest of the food.


But if you reverse the sticks then you use the end that your grimey hands have been holding and then the food gets on your hands.  Why not just have extra sticks to remove the food with?


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## GB

Callisto in NC said:


> But if you reverse the sticks then you use the end that your grimey hands have been holding and then the food gets on your hands.  Why not just have extra sticks to remove the food with?


You do not hold the sticks at the very end. You hold then a little ways down. The back end of the sticks are generally not touching anything. Plus, why are your hands grimey? I wash mine before I eat


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## CantCookButLoveToEat

*chopsticks*

well...where i live, dishes come with a serving spoon or something so that you dont use your chopsticks to pick them up.

besides, i dont really think anyone really reverses the chopsticks just to pick up food.
at least thats what my little experience has told me.


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## GB

You are probably thinking Chinese food CantCookButLoveToEat. Sushi on the other hand is not served with spoons though. You can get a large platter with lots of pieces. People all take from the communal platter. It is considered rude to take pieces from the communal platter with the end you eat from. It is kind of the equivalent of double dipping your chip into the dip.


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## roadfix

Typically one would use the butt ends of the chopsticks if picking out of a communal platter.

I was born and raised in Japan so even to this day I prefer chopsticks over a fork depending on what I'm having.


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## Callisto in NC

GB said:


> You do not hold the sticks at the very end. You hold then a little ways down. The back end of the sticks are generally not touching anything. Plus, why are your hands grimey? I wash mine before I eat


You know those people that won't shake hands?  I'm one of those.  You can wash them 2 seconds before you reach out to shake, but I won't do it.  I've also been at a dinner table with others more than once where people coughed in their hands at the table.  I just picture someone coughing, grabbing their chopsticks, and then touching the food.  Shivers.


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## Loprraine

I'm not very good with chopsticks.  But, I find that if I wrap an elastic around the two of them, I can manouver them much better, and get the food to my mouth.


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## roadfix

Loprraine said:


> I'm not very good with chopsticks.  But, I find that if I wrap an elastic around the two of them, I can manouver them much better, and get the food to my mouth.



That's the most popular method of teaching kids in Asia how to use them.


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## Callisto in NC

Loprraine said:


> I'm not very good with chopsticks.  But, I find that if I wrap an elastic around the two of them, I can manouver them much better, and get the food to my mouth.


Cheater chopsticks.  Actually featured in several movies and an episode of CSI:NY.  You also need to add a buffer like a piece of paper rolled up to make the chopsticks bounce against each other.


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## Loprraine

> Cheater chopsticks.


Yup.  Sometimes, I can do it on my own, sometimes, I need to go back to basics.  



> teaching kids in Asia how to use them



I used this method with my nephew 30 years ago.  He's a chopstick pro now.


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## sherifffruitfly

I can use chopsticks fine, but I've never understood people's fascination with using a less-efficient eating instrument (in 99% of the situations in America).


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## roadfix

sherifffruitfly said:


> I can use chopsticks fine, but I've never understood people's fascination with using a less-efficient eating instrument (in 99% of the situations in America).



I agree,.......it must be the zen thing.   ....


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## GB

sherifffruitfly said:


> I can use chopsticks fine, but I've never understood people's fascination with using a less-efficient eating instrument (in 99% of the situations in America).


Efficiency is not the only goal in eating. There is a pleasurable aesthetic involved as all. There are some people who will also say that eating with chopsticks is a good way to ensure you do not make a pig out of yourself. You can put WAY too much food on a fork, but it is not easy to do that with chopsticks.


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## sherifffruitfly

GB said:


> There are some people who will also say that eating with chopsticks is a good way to ensure you do not make a pig out of yourself. You can put WAY too much food on a fork, but it is not easy to do that with chopsticks.



I'll keep that in mind the next time I watch someone shovel rice into their piehole at light speed with the bowl a 1/2 inch from their mouth. 


EDIT: I was really just looking for an excuse to say "piehole" :P


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## Barbara L

GB said:


> Efficiency is not the only goal in eating. There is a pleasurable aesthetic involved as all...


I agree.  Eating at our favorite Japanese restaurant is a real treat for me, and I always use chopsticks when there.  The whole experience, including the food, the service, the atmosphere, and using chopsticks, is a treat for me.  

Barbara


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## SizzlininIN

I sure do. As a child I was the only one that would use them when we ate chinese. I hadn't used them in forever till about 6 months ago when we went out and I saw a pair offered at the chinese place. I love them and would love to buy a really nice pair.


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## linguini

I have this simple chopsticks guide, if anyone is interested in learning how to use chopsticks.


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## JohnL

Yes I do!
Been using them since I was 16 and got my drivers license.
Eating at a oriental restraunt was an affordable date night for my minimum wage pocket


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## luvs

i love chopssticks, teaching jake.


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## sattie

I love using them, but today, I was chopstick challenged.  I could not use a chopstick to save my life today!  It was those big fat plastic ones.


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## Max Sutton

*Can use chopsticks*



I learned to use chopsticks while in *Japan*. I prefer to eat Asian foods with chopsticks.


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## 337daberry

I know how to use a chopstick


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## Cooper'sMom

Yep! I know how to use them. I have acquired quite a modest collection of them too, now on display in my main dining room -- from standard Chinese to Mongolian to the tall cooking chopsticks.


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## qmax

GB said:


> You are probably thinking Chinese food CantCookButLoveToEat. Sushi on the other hand is not served with spoons though. You can get a large platter with lots of pieces. People all take from the communal platter. It is considered rude to take pieces from the communal platter with the end you eat from. It is kind of the equivalent of double dipping your chip into the dip.



Unless you are a woman, nigiri sushi is intended to be eaten with the hand.


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## qmax

qmax said:


> Unless you are a woman, nigiri sushi is intended to be eaten with the hand.



At least when I was in Japan that seemed to be the case.


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## GB

I am not sure if it was _intended_ to be eaten with the hand, but it certainly is perfectly acceptable to do so. Sushi is finger food in Japan. In the US it is more common to use chopsticks, but I know I have used my fingers before.


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## dave the baker

Yes.  Learned as a child.  We ate _all_ kinds of food.  Folks were world travelers.


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## radhuni

I know how to use chopsticks but I cannot manage properly


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