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By: Ikedi Ani-okoye.

Chopstick introduction

Chopsticks are synonymous with the Chinese. The English word seems to be derived from the Chinese Pidgin English term 'chop chop', meaning 'quickly', while the implements themselves are thought to have developed more than 5,000 years ago in China. By 400BC, a rapidly growing population meant that fuel had to be conserved, so meat and vegetables were chopped into small pieces for quicker cooking, making them the ideal size for chopsticks and making knives unnecessary at the dinner table.

Chopstick use

If you are traveling over-seas, please take the time to study the etiquette on the location you are going to as it differs from country to country and even region to region. That being said, the way you actually hold a set of chopsticks in your hand has more to do with what is comfortable for you than with any rule or custom. My advice for someone in the United States trying to learn to use chopsticks is not to worry about the rules. If you get the food from the bowl to your mouth, you are using them correctly!

Chopstick useage

If you're dishing food from a shared serving bowl into your own bowl, either use a pair of serving chopsticks, or use the wider end of your own chopsticks. Never take food from a shared bowl with the narrow end of chopsticks which have been in your mouth. Chinese food, whether it's meat, fish or vegetables, is usually served in strips or cubes, so each piece can simply be picked up with the tips of the chopsticks and eaten whole.

Chinese rice is prepared so that it is sticky, and can easily be picked up in clumps with chopsticks. If you're eating noodles, it is not considered rude to slurp noodles into your mouth, but if you feel more comfortable you can twist the noodles into a ball and eat it whole. At the end of the meal, or any time you need to lay your chopsticks down, lay them with narrow end on a chopstick stand. If you don't have a stand, lay them against the edge of your bowl.

CONCLUSION

Chopsticks are commonly used with their associated cuisine. Chopsticks can also now be found in some areas of Tibet and Nepal that are close to Han Chinese populations, due to cross-cultural influences. Chopsticks are commonly used in Xingjang by Uygurs and other nationalities to eat lagham. In South East Asia chopsticks are usually used when eating noodles. Chopsticks are commonly made ofwood, bamboo, metal, bone, ivory, and in modern times, plastic as well. The pair of sticks is maneuvered in one hand – between the thumb and fingers – and used to pick up pieces of food.