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Whats the best way to learn how to use chopsticks.... I feel embarrassed to use them in public?
I love going out to a Chinese restaurant with my friends, Chopsticks are always available next to the standard western cutlery. I'd love to be able to use chopsticks but I just don't seem to be able to get them to work.
What's the best way for me to learn so I can eat with some grace at the table?
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What's the best way for me to learn so I can eat with some grace at the table?
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October 02, 2009 11:55 AM
Personal experience and www.geocities.com/chinatownshop/chopsticks.html
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Actually, the best way is to simply 'do it'. Eating with chopsticks is relatively easy, once you've used them for half an hour.
First, just make sure you hold the sticks correctly, and click them together, without anything in between.
http://www.geocities.com/chinatownshop/imx/chopsticks.gif
Then, put some small items on a plate, and try to pick them up with the sticks, move them, and drop them again. Start with regular sized objects, preferably with a rough coating.
Then, go smaller and smaller, and end up with unboiled grains of rice. Once you're comfortably able to pick up those, you've passed.
If you find it tough to hold your sticks, tie the backs together with a small piece of tape, like this:
http://www.city-slickers.co.uk/images/EZ_WOODEN_CHOPSTICKS_A_one_piece_wooden_chopstick_with_EZ_mechanism_for_classy_oriental_dining_4_Pairs_o.jpg
And you are on your way to having a great dinner!
To be sure you don't embarrass yourself when eating with Chinese friends, I hereby also copy some etiquette rules:
---quote--
Some major don'ts of chopstick use:
* Don't use your chopsticks to point at somebody or to enhance communication.
* Don't use your chopsticks to fish around in the soup bowl for food.
* Don't use your chopsticks to move bowls or plates closer.
* Don't stick your chopsticks and leave them standing straight up in the rice bowl.
* Don't lick your chopsticks.
* Don't stab food to eat 'shish-kabob' style
---unquote--
source
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First, just make sure you hold the sticks correctly, and click them together, without anything in between.
Then, put some small items on a plate, and try to pick them up with the sticks, move them, and drop them again. Start with regular sized objects, preferably with a rough coating.
Then, go smaller and smaller, and end up with unboiled grains of rice. Once you're comfortably able to pick up those, you've passed.
If you find it tough to hold your sticks, tie the backs together with a small piece of tape, like this:
And you are on your way to having a great dinner!
To be sure you don't embarrass yourself when eating with Chinese friends, I hereby also copy some etiquette rules:
---quote--
Some major don'ts of chopstick use:
* Don't use your chopsticks to point at somebody or to enhance communication.
* Don't use your chopsticks to fish around in the soup bowl for food.
* Don't use your chopsticks to move bowls or plates closer.
* Don't stick your chopsticks and leave them standing straight up in the rice bowl.
* Don't lick your chopsticks.
* Don't stab food to eat 'shish-kabob' style
---unquote--
source
Personal experience and www.geocities.com/chinatownshop/chopsticks.html
| Asker's Rating: |
• Thanks... It looks like i'm going to practice at home and then I can show off my skills in public,
The list of things not to do is also really helpful, as I'm sure I've done those before...
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October 02, 2009 11:57 AM
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There is a pretty good tutorial here:
http://www.mahalo.com/how-to-use-chopsticks
Here is a video from the page:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Y9HO-c0dxU
If all else fails, wander into your local kitchen supply store and ask for a set of learning or childrens chopsticks. These chopsticks will be made out of plastic and connected at the top. They'll help you get the feel for eating with sticks and take the focus away from holding them.
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http://www.mahalo.com/how-to-use-chopsticks
Here is a video from the page:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Y9HO-c0dxU
If all else fails, wander into your local kitchen supply store and ask for a set of learning or childrens chopsticks. These chopsticks will be made out of plastic and connected at the top. They'll help you get the feel for eating with sticks and take the focus away from holding them.
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October 02, 2009 02:40 PM
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I can actually eat rice with chopsticks, and veggies, and meats and noodles and you name it. It's super easy once you get the trick. The trick is that you don't always try to pick things up with them by pinching things. Sometimes, you hold the stick together and make a little almost parallel stance with them and sort of 'scoop' things up onto the sticks.
Important things to note: sushi is finger food, so don't use your chopsticks on sushi. Don't put your chopsticks sticking straight up in your food, as this is a death symbol for mourning, and it's considered rude at a chef's table. Don't put your unclean chopsticks back on your plate. When eating 'western' foods, like the salad often served before a meal, it's okay to use a western fork.
When eating rice from a bowl, or a small plate, it is acceptable to lift the bowl or plate to your mouth and use the chopsticks more as a shovel than as a utensil like a fork or a spoon. The same goes for noodles. We use plates here, but it's not unusual in the Asian countries for food to be served in small bowls, and they pick up the bowls and put them close to their mouths and 'shovel' instead of using chopsticks like we try to use them, like they are forks.
Watch the videos here, and practice, practice, practice. You can probably get a set for free from any hibachi grills, and take them home and play with them. Once you finally get the hang of it, you'll wonder why you ever thought it was hard!
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Important things to note: sushi is finger food, so don't use your chopsticks on sushi. Don't put your chopsticks sticking straight up in your food, as this is a death symbol for mourning, and it's considered rude at a chef's table. Don't put your unclean chopsticks back on your plate. When eating 'western' foods, like the salad often served before a meal, it's okay to use a western fork.
When eating rice from a bowl, or a small plate, it is acceptable to lift the bowl or plate to your mouth and use the chopsticks more as a shovel than as a utensil like a fork or a spoon. The same goes for noodles. We use plates here, but it's not unusual in the Asian countries for food to be served in small bowls, and they pick up the bowls and put them close to their mouths and 'shovel' instead of using chopsticks like we try to use them, like they are forks.
Watch the videos here, and practice, practice, practice. You can probably get a set for free from any hibachi grills, and take them home and play with them. Once you finally get the hang of it, you'll wonder why you ever thought it was hard!
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October 03, 2009 04:23 AM
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I was taught the easy way. Hold them in your hand between your index and middle fingers like a pencil and slide them together. Practice makes perfect, so, don't be discouraged. It takes a little bit of concentration to get it going and develop a rythym, but, after you learn, it's like second nature. The first video gives a good visual of how I learned to use them. The secon one is just funny.
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October 07, 2009 06:41 AM
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I could not use chopsticks for many years. I kept focusing on the correct technique, trying to put my fingers where people said to, and following instructions. I just couldn't get it. Then one day a friend told me not to worry about any technique, but just to "get the food from the plate to your mouth." Worked like a charm, and now I can eat anything with chopsticks!
I would recommend buying a pair to take home, and then just getting food from the plate to your mouth until you are comfortable. Over-thinking it will just throw you off. Try it, it worked for me!
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I would recommend buying a pair to take home, and then just getting food from the plate to your mouth until you are comfortable. Over-thinking it will just throw you off. Try it, it worked for me!
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