Chop Chop!

Beautiful set of carved hardwood chopsticks

The Chinese were taught to use chopsticks long before spoons and forks were invented in Europe. The knife of course is older, but as a weapon, not a dining utensil. Chinese people living under Confucianism considered the knife and fork as weapons of violence, and chopsticks reflecting benevolence and gentleness; the main moral teaching of Confucianism. Therefore, instruments used for killing must be banned from the dining table, and that is why Chinese food is normally chopped into bite size portions before it reaches the table.


Eating Chinese food with a fork and knife just isn't as enjoyable as eating the bite sized morsels using chopsticks. Even rice can be consumed easily by a novice after a bit of practice. Also there is a bit of sense of accomplishment after clearing a rice bowl for the first time using a set of chopsticks. As the great Mr Miyagi says "Man who catch fly with chopstick accomplish anything."

There is much more to using chopsticks than just picking up food and shoving it into your mouth however. There exists an etiquette of their use which in it's basic form spans across many different cultures from the Japanese to the Vietnamese.

• Do not stick chopsticks into your food, especially not into rice. This is commonly done at funerals, or as an offering which is placed on the alter at an ancestral shrine.
  
• Do not pass food directly from your set of chopsticks to another’s. This is also a funeral tradition which involves the bones of a cremated body.
  
•  Hold your chopsticks towards their end, not in the middle or the front third.
  
• It is very bad manners to spear food with your chopsticks, except as a last resort with larger items such as fishballs.
  
• Do not point with your chopsticks.
  
• Do not wave your chopsticks around in the air or play with them (you'll put someone's eye out, or something.)
  
• Also always use the chopstick rest rather than setting your chopsticks on the top of the bowl, as doing so means you have completed your meal. If you are using disposable chopsticks you can fold the wrapper to create your own chopstick stand.

These are only a few etiquette guidelines, but don't let them stop you from enjoying this amazing tool the next time you're enjoying Asian cuisine. Once you've mastered the basics of using them you'll wonder why anyone would eat that type of food with a fork.