chopsticks

[wix]

I have taken several quotes from this thread to start a new topic.

Whilst i enjoy using chopsticks, i consider them highly inefficient compared to knives, forks, spoons, and sporks. Whilst i enjoy learning/writing Chinese characters, i also consider them inefficient. Having said this, i don't think the Chinese should move away from using either - they are symbols of their cultural uniqueness.

Chopsticks for chinese food is highly efficient, because unlike in western cuisine, the chinese chef is responsible for chopping the food into tiny pieces(thus, the knife is not needed). it's really a matter of preference, and their efficiency depends on what food you eat.

the chinese chef is responsible for chopping the food into tiny pieces

i wish someone would have told this to the chef at the chinese restaurant i was at the other night. the pieces of pork were anything but bight size.

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I might as well add my two kuai worth. Chopsticks are extremely inefficient for eating T-bone steak . They are very efficient for eating most kinds of Chinese food though.

[skylee]

Chopsticks are also good for eating leafy salads.

The chef is responsible for chopping the food into tiny pieces, as confucius said, "割不正不食", and also "食不厭精，膾不厭細".

[Guest Anonymous]

A major difference between Northern and Southern Chinese cuisine is that historically, Southern Chinese usually cut and slice meat and vegetables into smaller pieces and the dishes are generally more delicate.

However, many Chinese restaurants serving "American-styled" Chinese food tend to have giant chunks of meat and vegetables, not to mention all the "sweet and sour sauce" dripping off of them. This is why you don't normally see too many Chinese eating there.

[Guest Ch1nam4n]

I don't have much to add other than that I think chopsticks are a lot of fun to use. I like eating a lot, I like using chopsticks a lot, so eating with chopsticks is the best!

[andreabt]

I do agree that Chinese restaurants here in the States tend to not cut the food up small enough, though in China, it seems to be acceptable to take a bite off a larger piece if it's not small enough to fit in your mouth.

That said, I find it awkward to try to eat Chinese food (anywhere) if I'm NOT using chopsticks! It just feels wrong

[Tsunku]

I feel the same way about eating Chinese food without chopsticks. It does feel wrong.

Another thing I like about chopsticks is that you get a free hand! You don't have to put down your chopsticks whenever you want to take a sip of your drink.

[Guest snow]

being a Chinese myself but raised somewhere else I prefer using knives and forkes. I used to use chopstocks but changed into using forkes when i was around 7/8 years old. and i don't eat rice anymore from a bowl but from a plate. i still know how to use chopsticks though but not the 'normal' way like my parents do. the normal way would be to have some space in between the 2 chopsticks but somehow i can't manage to do that, even my big sister who uses only chopsticks when eating rice can't do that. i remember when i was one time in HK on holiday and I was eating in a Chinese restaurant with some of my parents friends and they saw that i had some problems using chopsticks (we were eating some round chape foods, fried fishballs or something) they called the waiter to give me some fork and knife. It was a little embarassing then.

And wooden chopsticks (non varnished) have a better graps than those plastic chopsticks.

[Guest Anonymous]

I generally use spoons for rice. I don't see how people can use forks with rice. To me, using forks with rice is just as inefficient as using chopsticks. But then that's just me. However, I always use chopsticks when I eat noodles.

[kangkai]

I do agree that Chinese restaurants here in the States tend to not cut the food up small enough' date=' though in China, it seems to be acceptable to take a bite off a larger piece if it's not small enough to fit in your mouth.

That said, I find it awkward to try to eat Chinese food (anywhere) if I'm NOT using chopsticks! It just feels wrong [/quote']

It depends on whom I'm with. If I'm at a chinese resturant with Chinese I use chopsticks, but if I'm with Americans I use fork, spoon and knife.

[skylee]

It depends on whom I'm with. If I'm at a chinese resturant with Chinese I use chopsticks, but if I'm with Americans I use fork, spoon and knife.

I really (i.e. not being sarcastic) admire those people who are able to eat noodles with a fork. I mean how can you avoid the soup jumping on to your face?

I always wonder why many HK young people who grow up using chopsticks cannot use them properly. Like snow, they cannot separate the two chopsticks, thus are not able to pick up the food properly. One of my younger colleagues always crosses the two chopsticks to somehow pick up the food and we the older ones all watch him a bit disapprovingly. (BTW, many of them don't hold a writing brush properly either. They hold it as if it were a pencil.)

I generally use spoons for rice. I don't see how people can use forks with rice.

If the rice is served on a plate, then I eat it with a fork. This is my habit. I am quite uneasy with the korean way of eating rice from a bowl with a metal spoon. I understand that the koreans consider it impolite to lift up the bowl. So a spoon is more efficient. To me it is best to eat rice from a bowl with chopsticks.

[TSkillet]

Being left-handed AND growing up in the US, I cross my chopsticks. But then I noticed a lot of Chinese my age (late 20s) - no matter their backgroud - use chopsticks incorrectly.

If it's on a plate, I tend to use the spoon/fork combo like they do in South East Asia. Noodles - chopsticks, (unless of course, they're Italian)

[tetsuo500]

a guy from work today was saying something about scientists have discovered a new bacteria, or a new sickness that can be contracted, or something..... I'm not sure, I wasn't really paying attention to what he was saying, I was too busy eating at the time. Anyway, he said it was found in China, from people re-using wooden chopsticks. He then went on to talk about how Chinese never throw anything away - especially chopsticks etc. etc.

I told him "ummm.... when I was in China, I only ever found one restaurant that re-used chopsticks, and the one time I tried using my own wooden chopsticks my friends laughed at me for being so disgusting."

To which he replied "ha"

So, what I want to know is: What is the norm for you and the areas that you've been to? Single or multi use?

Also, I heard putting metal in your mouth e.g. forks and spoons is bad for your health, does anyone know specifically what it does to you?

[Quest]

Ivory, plastic or metal chopsticks are usually reused. There are wooden chopsticks (round cylindrical) that are also re-used. One-time 卫生筷 are thrown away.

[Ian_Lee]

For Cantonese family which steamed fish is a almost a daily serving, I don't know how knife and fork can pick the bones from the fish.

Actually chopsticks is a sign of evolution.

For knives and forks, they are actually "weapons" if you multiply its size by 20 times and sharpen its edges.

How can you use a "weapon" to eat?

By the way, how come most westerners don't know how to eat the whole fish with bones?

[roddy]

they are actually "weapons" if you multiply its size by 20 times and sharpen its edges

True, but we don't generally do that - bad table manners.

I could equally say, knives and forks are a sign of evolution as they require more work to make - you need to sharpen a blade and get the tines of the fork made. I'd be equally wrong though.

Roddy

[smithsgj]

I never knew what a tine was. What an education this forum is!

Why would anyone want to eat a whole fish with bones? And eyes, and head, and tail? You wouldn't put a whole frog on a plate, or a small dog! And why is it that Chinese cuisine (a) insists on serving everything complete with bones, skin, gristle and goodness knows what other inedibles *AND* (B) denies the eater a suitable implement for chopping it all up?

Chopsticks are quite good for eating salad, though, I agree.

[roddy]

denies the eater a suitable implement for chopping it all up?

Just because you haven't mastered chopsticks yet, smith大人博士sir. Very rarely see skilled chopsticks users having any trouble - and when they do everyone else sticks their chopsticks in to help, thus solving the problem AND enhancing social cohesion through a group problem-solving activity.

other inedibles

They're only inedible if you don't eat them.

I was once asked to recommend some dishes for a banquet to be attended by foreigners - they were anxious not to serve anything that might be found unpalatable. I just told them to make sure nothing still had a face on, and everything went smoothly.

Roddy

[pazu]

And when I was in Pakistan and I always had to bring my own pair of chopsticks to the Mamtoo restaurant... Mamtoo is something like Jiaozi in China, just with a different name (a name derived from "Mantou"?)

I just can't eat the dumpling with a fork, it tore the dumpling and let all the soup inside leaked! What a pity!

[Guest soccerbud]

here is another reason as to why chopstick is high efficient for chinese food.

Unlike western food(atleast american), chinese are usually not served in person by person basis i.e. each person gets their own ration of certain dish on their own plates but rather group by group basis i.e. a group would have plates of food in which everyone from that particular group would eat from.

And i belive we can all agree on that if using knives and forks, one would definitely make a huge mess trying to grab food from those plates. And that would be considered highly unpolite in chinese culture.

[Guest soccerbud]

I never knew what a tine was. What an education this forum is!

Why would anyone want to eat a whole fish with bones? And eyes' date=' and head, and tail? You wouldn't put a whole frog on a plate, or a small dog! And why is it that Chinese cuisine (a) insists on serving everything complete with bones, skin, gristle and goodness knows what other inedibles *AND* (B) denies the eater a suitable implement for chopping it all up?

Chopsticks are quite good for eating salad, though, I agree.[/quote']

You have no idea the how many different kinds of fishes you are missing out by insisting on eating fishes that you don't have to pick bones from.

Btw do you know that fish heads (complete with its eyes, skin, brain and everyting) make great soup base?