Chopsticks are an ancient way of eating food, and even though they were developed some 5,000 years ago in China, the tradition is alive and thriving around the modern world. There are many reasons for using chopsticks, but probably they developed because food would be cooked in a large pot, and being metal the pots would stay hot for a long time. Something would be needed to retrieve the food from a safe distance, so using two sticks of wood allows one to get close enough to pluck the food out of the pot without burning themselves.
Although forks, knives and other "piercing" utensils have been introduced to China over the years, there are a few reasons the chopsticks have remained the main way to eat food. Firstly, it is believed that the scholar Confucius (approximately 550 to 480 BCE) taught that since knives were weapons of death, only a "barbarian" would bring one to the table to eat. Likewise, as Buddhism spread through China and the beliefs of nonviolence gained hold, there was little appeal for having utensils that reminded one of weaponry at such an important place as a dinner table.
Please SCROLL DOWN to read more about the history and use of chopsticks.
Although forks, knives and other "piercing" utensils have been introduced to China over the years, there are a few reasons the chopsticks have remained the main way to eat food. Firstly, it is believed that the scholar Confucius (approximately 550 to 480 BCE) taught that since knives were weapons of death, only a "barbarian" would bring one to the table to eat. Likewise, as Buddhism spread through China and the beliefs of nonviolence gained hold, there was little appeal for having utensils that reminded one of weaponry at such an important place as a dinner table.
Please SCROLL DOWN to read more about the history and use of chopsticks.
There are generally two kinds of chopsticks. One is the "personal" style of chopsticks that one uses to eat their food. The other are the longer and thicker chopsticks that a chef would use to turn food in a wok when cooking. These cooking chopsticks are also used to help transport noodles in and out of boiling water.
Chopsticks are most commonly used in Japan, Korea, China and also in Vietnam. They are mostly made from wood (with bamboo being the most widespread), but there are other materials used to make chopsticks, too; Ivory and jade are the most precious of materials, while Asian restaurants in the USA are more likely to have "high-tech" plastic chopsticks. But despite the contemporary nature of these new synthetic chopsticks, the design is still the same that has been used for thousands of years: two pieces of tapered wood held in the right hand.
When it comes to having chopsticks in the home or, for the aristocracy, in the palaces, there are many special made chopsticks. They often feature different kinds of light and dark woods in combination, or they have intricate carvings of animals or lucky symbols. Some may have special silver tips or other sorts of designs mounted on the end of them.
One misconception people have is that chopsticks are used EVERYWHERE in Asia. This is simply not the case. In my home country of Thailand, for instance, we eat with a spoon in our right hand to scoop the food. We also use the back of a fork (in our left hand) to push the food into the spoon. Only when we eat noodle dishes do we use chopsticks. This is because Thai food is normally eaten from a plate filled with rice, and if you try to eat from a flat plate with chopsticks, you will end up pushing the food off your plate and onto the table or your lap. However, noodle dishes are normally eaten from a BOWL, so you just grab a bunch of noodles, lean your head over the bowl, and scoop them into your mouth. In this case the Chopsticks are in the right hand and a soup spoon is in the left hand and you can use the chopsticks to place the food in the spoon and scoop it into your mouth.
Other countries in Southeast Asia, such as Cambodia, Malaysia, Burma, and Indonesia have a similar use for chopsticks.
Chopsticks are most commonly used in Japan, Korea, China and also in Vietnam. They are mostly made from wood (with bamboo being the most widespread), but there are other materials used to make chopsticks, too; Ivory and jade are the most precious of materials, while Asian restaurants in the USA are more likely to have "high-tech" plastic chopsticks. But despite the contemporary nature of these new synthetic chopsticks, the design is still the same that has been used for thousands of years: two pieces of tapered wood held in the right hand.
When it comes to having chopsticks in the home or, for the aristocracy, in the palaces, there are many special made chopsticks. They often feature different kinds of light and dark woods in combination, or they have intricate carvings of animals or lucky symbols. Some may have special silver tips or other sorts of designs mounted on the end of them.
One misconception people have is that chopsticks are used EVERYWHERE in Asia. This is simply not the case. In my home country of Thailand, for instance, we eat with a spoon in our right hand to scoop the food. We also use the back of a fork (in our left hand) to push the food into the spoon. Only when we eat noodle dishes do we use chopsticks. This is because Thai food is normally eaten from a plate filled with rice, and if you try to eat from a flat plate with chopsticks, you will end up pushing the food off your plate and onto the table or your lap. However, noodle dishes are normally eaten from a BOWL, so you just grab a bunch of noodles, lean your head over the bowl, and scoop them into your mouth. In this case the Chopsticks are in the right hand and a soup spoon is in the left hand and you can use the chopsticks to place the food in the spoon and scoop it into your mouth.
Other countries in Southeast Asia, such as Cambodia, Malaysia, Burma, and Indonesia have a similar use for chopsticks.