How to eat with chopsticks; Tutorial for beginners!

Would you like it learn to eat with chopsticks? You have come to the right place! Chopsticks are the most rudimentary cutlery used throughout the world.

Millions of people turn to them to eat all kinds of dishes every day, demonstrating a great mastery when eating with chopsticks that it is not easy to imitate when you have no experience.

Please note that in countries like Japan or China, children learn from a young age to eat with chopsticks.

In the West we are not used to these wooden sticks, since our main cutlery that would be equivalent to chopsticks to eat would be the fork.

However, if your dream one day is to travel to Japan, or if you simply want to learn how to use chopsticks to eat In oriental restaurants with great mastery, it is never too late to get down to it.

How do you eat with Japanese chopsticks? There are some difference with chopsticks and chopsticks from other countries Asians?

Today we discover all the secrets about these curious cutlery, and the best tricks to eat with chopsticks that will be great for you to take the step once and for all.

What are chopsticks?

Known as chopsticks, wooden chopsticks or 'chopstick' in English, the chopsticks are a couple of little ones straight sticks with the same length between them, used to eat in countries of the Far East.

Chopsticks are the equivalent of the cutlery we use in Europe, America and the rest of Western countries, which exist in countries like China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea and Vietnam.

In other countries like Thailand or Indonesia They are also used frequently, although over the centuries they have adapted the Western way of eating with a knife, fork and spoon.

In a traditional way, chopsticks have been made of natural materials such as wood, bamboo, bone or ivory.

Today it is increasingly common to find Japanese or Chinese chopsticks metal or plastic, cheaper and resistant.

In these countries they are usually the sole or main covered to take all kinds of food.

In countries like Japan it is usually eaten with chopsticks meat dishes, fish, noodles, vegetables, and they even master the complicated art of eating rice with these thin sticks that a priori they seem not to be able to grasp the tiny grains of rice.

History of wooden chopsticks

Today they are often used chopsticks in many eastern countries, and they are easy to find in practically any corner of the world.

You will see them in Chinese food restaurants, Japanese food, Vietnamese or Korean. You can also buy them in any store, supermarket or bazaar for very little money.

However, the history of these curious cutlery goes back hundreds of years, in the ancient chinese empire.

It is estimated that they began to be used before the 12th century BC, there are writings that refer to its use by the highest classes of society.

At first they were made of bamboo, receiving the name of Hanzi zhù which means 'light and small bamboo'.

Over the years, in China it began to be called Kuài. This was the name by which the eating instrument was known when it was introduced to neighboring countries such as Vietnam, Japan, and Korea.

In other areas of China, another term is still used to call them, ZhùAlthough the shape and function of these chopsticks is exactly the same anywhere in Asia.

In Japan today they have their own name, Hashi in Japanese. These were introduced from China in the 7th century.

And they found them very comfortable to use, since the traditional food of the Japanese country has been served in small pieces, ideal to take with this type of cutlery.

What is the difference between Chinese and Japanese chopsticks?

If you are not used to eating with Japanese chopsticks, you may not be able to distinguish the many differences that these accessories have. depending on the country where they are used.

These variations are slight, but very interesting. The chopsticks length, thickness of these, and the type of material with which they are made, are adapted to the type of food in each country and the way its inhabitants use them.

Chopsticks

Chopsticks are longer than Korean and Japanese, and also have a greater thickness.

In a traditional way they are made made of wood or bamboo, although plastic toothpicks are increasingly being used for their practicality.

The key to differentiate them is in the tip. A chopstick usually ends in a rounded or square tip, but always flat.

Buy Chinese Chopsticks

Japanese chopsticks

The hashi or Japanese chopsticks are shorter and more pointed. The function of its sharp end is to be able to more easily remove the bones from the fish, or to take the small pieces of the plate more comfortably.

They are usually made from wood, bamboo, and other natural materials. They exist of many types, from fancy chopsticks even the most kawaii.

It is common to find chopsticks in Japan with different lengths, longer for men, and shorter and thinner for women and children. They all have the very fine and rounded tip.

Buy Japanese Chopsticks

Korean chopsticks

Korean chopsticks have always been heavier. Made with a higher density wood, nowadays they are usually stainless steel chopsticks more resistant and reusable.

They are shorter than the Chinese chopsticks, which taper at the tip ending with a rounded end.

They are always accompanied by a matching spoon of the same material, since in Korea rice is eaten with a spoon and not with chopsticks.

Buy Korean Chopsticks

Vietnamese chopsticks

In Vietnam, more modest wooden chopsticks are used, which are usually medium in size. They are made of wood, with a flattened shape in the body to be able to place them comfortably on the table without rolling.

On the other hand, the tip is rounded, although not as fine as the hashi japanese.

Little by little, these are replaced by more resistant and economical materials like plastic or bamboo.

Buy Vietnamese Chopsticks

Types of Japanese chopsticks

Japanese chopsticks in turn are distinguished in different types that receive a specific name according to the use that is given to them.

Whether they are single-use chopsticks, chopsticks for cooking, or to make a special gift, the different types of japanese chopsticks are as follows:

• Shokubashi: typical chopsticks that are used to eat at home or to take out. Each member of the family usually has their own game, and they are not interchanged.
• Saibashi: they are longer chopsticks, between 30 and 40 cm in length, which are used for cooking instead of eating.
• Toribashi: special chopsticks that are put on the table to serve food. The use of toribashi is a very important part of the Japanese table manners.
• Waribashi: they are single-use wooden chopsticks, that is, disposable. When you finish eating at a restaurant, the right thing to do is to put the used chopsticks back into their own packaging to throw them away in the trash.
• Meotobashi: special toothpicks that are given to couples for their marriage. They are presented in a beautiful box with large chopsticks for men and smaller and thinner ones for women.

How to learn to eat with chopsticks?

One of the main concerns that people have that by go to an asian restaurant for the first time is: 'I don't know how to eat with chopsticks.' Don't worry, nobody is born knowing how to eat with chopsticks, not even the Japanese or Chinese themselves.

It is never too late to implement the tutorial on the use of wooden chopsticks to eat.

We are going to see step by step the best way to take chopsticks and how to eat with chopsticks correctly. Although it seems easy enough, when you put it into practice you will realize that you need to rehearse a lot until you get the hang of the technique.

Follow these steps to eat with chopsticks as Asians do:

Step 1

Put the open hand with which you usually take the cutlery to eat. The palm should be as flat as possible, with the fingers together except for the thumb that will be slightly raised.

Step 2

Place the first toothpick crossing the palm of the hand from the hollow of the thumb to the little finger, as seen in the image. This toothpick will stay fixed in this position.

Step 3

Then place the second toothpick holding it with the index finger tip and thumb tip. The tip should coincide with the tip of the other toothpick, remaining at the same height.

Step 4

The chopsticks are already in place, now it's time to learn to move them. As we have indicated, the first toothpick will be fixed, and you can hold it with your little finger so that it moves as little as possible.

Step 5

The second toothpick instead moves like a pencil, and you can help yourself with your thumb and index fingers, in addition to the rest of the fingers that will act as motor support for its movement.

Step 6

Try the most comfortable position for hold and move the chopsticks. Each person has their own technique, there is no better than another. You just have to make sure that the stick below is fixed, and the other is the one that moves.

Try pick different types of food with chopsticks. Start with small pieces of food, then try with different pieces of sushi, try eating noodles or rice. You'll see how in a short time you can do all kinds of tricks with chopsticks.

Through this complete YouTube video you will be able to see how to eat with chopsticks, holding them correctly with the basic position:

By the way, could you guess what type are the chopsticks that appear in the video? Would you say they are Chinese, Korean, Japanese, or Vietnamese? Take note of the length, material, and tip of the toothpicks. You sure guessed it!

Glued chopsticks; Easier to use

There are people who even knowing how to grab chopsticks they cannot fully master the technique.

For those who are learning from the beginning, for children, or for those who have given up and cannot figure out how to eat with chopsticks, in the West we have a very effective trick to use them: silicone fasteners.

This tool actually comes from China and Japan, where many parents buy it for use by parents. children in their first attempts to learn to eat with chopsticks.

However, they can be used by adults in the same way. There are all kinds of fasteners. You can buy on amazon in many different shapes and colors!

It consists of a flexible silicone handle that holds the chopsticks at the top so that they stick together.

This makes it easier to pick up chopsticks, because they always stay together, they do not fall off, and the tips are at the same distance to help you take food better.

Buy Chopsticks

Some models also come with some extra accessories that are placed in the middle of the body of the toothpick to indicate proper finger position. So there is no way to go wrong when taking them.

If you still don't know how do you eat japanese sushi, or how to eat your favorite dishes with Chinese sticks, surely you will have no problem learning with this accessory for chinese chopstick.

Is it mandatory to eat with chopsticks in Japan?

If you are about to travel to Japan And no matter how hard you are trying, you have not yet learned to use chopsticks to eat, do not be overwhelmed.

Yes, it is true that in Japan it is not common for restaurants to have Western cutlery, and that most possible it is that just have chopsticks for customers. But there are some tricks that can be great for you.

The simplest is ask directly at the restaurant if you have any forks. In the event that this is not the case, they will surely offer you a spoon or some other cutlery that will help you eat the dishes you have ordered.

Although we know how to eat correctly with chopsticks, we usually bring a plastic fork always in the backpack on the road, as well as these silicone toothpick accessories that are a great help for those days when you are more clumsy with your hands.

Anyway, traveling to Japan is the ideal opportunity to learn how to eat with Japanese chopsticks.

Take the opportunity to fix yourself in a sneaky way how the japanese do it themselves when you go to a restaurant, and try to imitate them to refine your technique. You will come back an expert in eating with chopsticks!

Things not to do with chopsticks in Japan

Japanese chopsticks are wrapped in many kinds of superstitions and Japanese customs that are taken very much in mind in Japan.

There are some practices that we have become accustomed to doing in the West with wooden chopsticks that without realizing it, and that in Japan can be considered as a great offense or disrespect.

This is what you should never do with chopsticks in Japan:

• Stick them in food, especially a plate of rice or noodles. This gesture is reminiscent of incense sticks that are stuck in arsonists during funerals.
• Suck the tip of the toothpick.
• Digging with chopsticks in food to find some food.
• Use the toothpick as a fork pricking the food to bring it to the mouth.
• Allow the soy to drip from the toothpick to the table.
• When eating sushi with chopsticks, make sure that they are not submerged in the soy sauce. What you have to dip is the piece of sushi, not the chopsticks.
• Stir the soup or any other liquid food with the chopsticks.
• Use personal chopsticks to serve yourself food from a shared source.
• Transfer food from your chopsticks to someone else's chopsticks. Instead, you can put it directly on the other person's plate.
• Use your drumsticks to play music like drumsticks.

Now that you know how to hold chopsticks and how use them correctly on the table, you will be able to make a more correct use of these cutlery so typical of Japan.