Chopstick
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Chopsticks are (usually) two sticks which are used in some Asian countries to carry food from the plate or bowl to the eater's mouth. They are made of wood, metal, ivory, bamboo, or plastic.
Many people believe chopsticks were invented in ancient China. Today in China and neighboring countries people use chopsticks; Korea, Japan, Mongolia, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, and Singapore. In many other countries chopsticks are often found in restaurants of those countries' cuisines.
In countries where people use chopsticks, people use them instead of a knife and fork. The sticks are held together in the same hand, usually the right hand (for right-handed people). In most countries, people think it is rude to use chopsticks in the left hand.
[edit] How to use chopsticks
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- Put one chopstick between the palm and the base of the thumb, using the ring finger (the fourth finger) to support the lower part of the stick. With the thumb, squeeze the stick down while the ring finger pushes it up. The stick should be stationary and very stable.
- Use the tips of the thumb, index and middle fingers to hold the other stick like an ink pen. Make sure the tips of the two sticks line up.
- Pivot the upper stick up and down towards the stationary lower stick. With this motion one can pick up food of surprising size.
- With enough practice, the two sticks function like a pair of pincers.
Tip: For easier handling in the beginning, hold the sticks at the midpoint as a child would do. With proficiency, hold the sticks at the upper ends for a farther reach and a more mature look.
If the tips fail to line up, it will be difficult to hold things. Hold the chopsticks upright with one of the tips lightly touching the table, and gently push the chopsticks down or gently loosen your grip for a moment to let both tips become equal in length. You can also adjust your grip or holding position this way.
With practice, it is possible to perform step one and two simultaneously, on picking up the chopsticks with one hand, with a single fluid and seamless motion. Readjust your grip if necessary.
[edit] What chopsticks are used for
Chopsticks are used in cooking to stir materials in a pan, or moving meals from a pan to dishes.
In Japan people use a single-use chopstick called waribashi (split chopstick). Before using, people split it into two.
In Japan people use chopsticks during the funeral ceremony of Buddhists. After burning the dead, family and friends move the burned bones of the dead from the coffin to a pot with chopsticks. Different from ordinary use, the chopsticks in this occasion are not made from the same material (for example, a wooden one and a bamboo one).
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