How To Use Chopsticks Correctly

In Chinese they are called k'uai tzu (Pinyin, kuaizi), which means "quick ones." In Japan they are sometimes called otemoto. The English word "chopsticks" is said to have come from the pidgin term chop, meaning "quick." At any rate, they are found in just about every household in Southeast Asia. But do you know where the idea of chopsticks came from? Or how and when they were first used? And would you like to know how to use them correctly?
What are they?
Chopsticks are slender sticks about eight to ten inches [20-25 cm] long. The upper half of the stick is often squared. This makes it easier to grasp and prevents it from rolling around on the table. The lower half is usually rounded. Often, Japanese chopsticks are shorter and end in more of a point than Chinese ones.
Chopsticks may be made of any of several materials including bamboo, wood (found in most normal homes) or ivory- for banquets. Some are even made out of silver or gold.
In these days of mass production, many restaurants provide prepackaged chopsticks that are still joined at the upper end. The diner must pull them apart before they can be used. Because they are for one-time use only, such chopsticks are made of plain wood or bamboo. Chopsticks used at more expensive establishments or in the home are often quite beautiful, made of polished bamboo, lacquered wood, plastic, stainless steel, or perhaps even silver or ivory. They may also be inscribed with poetry or decorated with a painting.
How to Use Chopsticks
Many visitors to Oriental countries such as China and Japan are fascinated when they see a small child of perhaps just two years of age eating with a pair of seemingly oversized chopsticks. In no time at all, the contents of the bowl are transferred piece by piece to the child's mouth. It really looks easy.
Would you like to try using a pair of chopsticks? At first you may find it awkward to get the chopsticks to move in the way you want them to, but with a little practice, it becomes easy and the chopsticks become like an extension of your hand.
Chopsticks are held in one hand only, usually the right hand. First, cup your hand, with your thumb apart from your fingers. Place one chopstick in between your thumb and fingers, resting it against the base of your index finger and the tip of your ring finger. Then place the second chopstick parallel with the first, and hold it with your thumb and index and middle fingers, as you would a pencil. Get the ends even by tapping them on the table. Now, keeping the bottom chopstick stationary, move the top one by flexing your index and middle fingers up and down. Practice until you can bring the tips of the chopsticks together easily. You are now ready to use these versatile implements to pick up any of the delicious morsels served in a Chinese meal--from a single grain of rice to a quail's egg! Chopsticks and Chinese food go well together because the food is usually cut into bite-size pieces.
What about dishes in which a chicken, a duck, or a pork rump is served whole, without being cut up into small pieces? Usually the meat is cooked to such a degree that chopsticks can easily be used to separate a bite-size portion. Chopsticks are ideal for fish, which is often served whole; you can avoid bones with a facility not so easily achieved with a knife and fork.
What about eating rice? If the occasion is informal, you may pick up the rice bowl with your left hand, take it up to your mouth, and scoop the rice into your mouth with the chopsticks. At a more formal meal, however, you would pick up the rice with the chopsticks, a small amount at a time.
What about soup, which is always a component of a Chinese meal? A porcelain spoon is usually provided. But if the soup contains noodles or dumplings or pieces of vegetable, meat, or fish, try using your chopsticks in your right hand to pick up the food and the spoon in your left hand to help transport it to your mouth.

About the Author
Geoff runs a site at http://www.kitchenandhousewares.us where a wide range of gourmet foods, recipe books, and kitchen items are on sale.