How to use Chinese chopsticks correctly. How to properly hold Chinese chopsticks. History of Chinese chopsticks

How to eat with Chinese chopsticks? This question is quite relevant. After all, in Lately many began to give the greatest preference to Chinese food. And each dish has its own cutlery. For example, Chinese food is eaten using Chinese chopsticks. Therefore, second no less topical issue in search networks is: how to use Chinese chopsticks?

After all, in fact, would you pick, for example, a sandwich with a spoon? Or cut the cheburek with a knife and fork? Of course not! Everyone knows that any food requires a directly corresponding tool, and the food that we encounter in the South East Asia, is by no means an exception. This food must be properly eaten with Chinese chopsticks. And although it must be admitted that not all of us are confident in using a fork and knife, learning to eat with Chinese chopsticks is not at all difficult!

Chinese chopsticks first appeared in China and only then did they become popular in other countries. So, despite the fact that in Japanese restaurants it is customary to eat with these chopsticks, in fact, Chinese chopsticks are immigrants from China. Even if you yourself prefer to eat food from the traditional cuisine of your people exclusively and do not go to various sushi bars at all, then you still need to know how to use Chinese chopsticks correctly. Because this is already mandatory knowledge in the field of etiquette. After all, if you ever go to a Japanese restaurant yourself, or if you are suddenly invited, it is unlikely that you will want to look stupid and clumsy against the general background.

So, how to hold Chinese chopsticks? You need to take one of the sticks in such a way that its thick end lies on the base of your thumb of your right (or maybe even your left - whichever is better and more convenient for you...) hand, and the thin end is not lower than the phalanx of the middle finger. Next, you need to press it with your thumb so that the stick falls into place (remember, approximately 5-7 cm of the stick should remain directly to the fingers). Now you can attach the second stick in place. It should be held between the index fingers and thumbs. Then you need to tap the ends of these sticks on the plate to even out their length as much as possible. Now you need to try to learn how to rotate the top stick. You need to lightly press the top stick. It should rotate on the index finger to the second joint, and the lower stick should remain completely motionless! But the end of the upper stick should move directly towards the end of the lower one. Now you need to complicate the task and grab a small piece of food with them and lift it above the plate. It is possible that the first attempts may lead to unintended spring cleaning. After all, to achieve the desired result, you need to practice and soon you will be able to make the most indelible impression on others.

Tip: You can practice on lettuce first, and then gradually reduce the size of the pieces and after a while, you will undoubtedly be like Chow Yung-Fat at the beginning of the movie "Players".

Video on how to use Chinese chopsticks!

Chopsticks are difficult to master, but for those who have learned to master them perfectly, they are a convenient and versatile cutlery.

History of Chinese chopsticks

The history of Chinese chopsticks goes back several thousand years. Scientists believe that they were first used in China before our era. According to one version, this happened during the reign of the Shang-Yin dynasty (approximately 1764-1027 BC).

But the historical notes of Sima Qian, written during the Han Dynasty, say that Emperor Zhou used chopsticks made of Ivory about 4000 years ago. From this it follows that the first Chinese chopsticks appeared even before the Shang-Yin dynasty.

Chinese chronicles indicate that in those days only the emperor and his entourage used chopsticks, and only in 700-800 AD did they enter the homes of the common people.

There is a version that initially chopsticks were needed only when preparing food wrapped in leaves. It was with their help that cooks quickly and deftly moved hot stones and turned over pieces of meat, fish and vegetables. Later, sticks became a replacement for a long-handled scoop called a “bi.”

If previously prepared food was removed from the dish with this spoon (a “bi” scoop), then with the advent of chopsticks the need for it disappeared. Now the fashion for sticks is popular all over the world.

What types of chopsticks are there?

What the first chopsticks were made of can be guessed by their name “kuaizu”, containing a root with the meaning “bamboo”. The bamboo trunk was split in two, and its halves were folded, resulting in the sticks resembling tweezers. The separate form of kuaizu was acquired much later, and has remained in this form to this day.

Now chopsticks are made from the most various materials: plastic, bone, metal (including gold and silver). But most often, wood of various species is used for their production. Among them are pine, cypress, plum, maple, cedar, willow, black or purple sandalwood.

Chopsticks can be disposable, like those served in Chinese, Japanese or Vietnamese restaurants, or reusable, which are purchased for constant use and stored at home along with other cutlery.

Such kuaizu can be a real work of art: they are painted and varnished, decorated with ornaments and inlaid with metal and mother-of-pearl.

The appearance of chopsticks is also varied: pyramidal in shape, with thick or thin ends, flat. Their cross-section can be round, oval, square, with rounded corners.

The tradition of eating with chopsticks from the Chinese was adopted by the Japanese, Koreans, Vietnamese and other peoples of the East, but this happened only in the 12th century. In each of these countries, chopsticks look different.

Japanese hashi are also made of wood, but they are shorter than Chinese kuaizu and have more pointed ends. There are special stands for chopsticks in Japan: hasioki. This name is formed by adding the verbal noun oki from the verb oku - put, leave. Hasioki are made from ceramics, wood and bamboo and are often of artistic value.

Koreans eat with very thin chopsticks, made mostly of metal.

How to use Chinese chopsticks correctly

Characteristic dishes have their own cutlery. You wouldn't eat soup with a fork, would you? In this article we will learn how to use Chinese chopsticks. It's not difficult at all.

1. Relax your hand. Straighten your index and middle fingers, and bend your ring and little fingers slightly.

2. Then take one stick (at a distance of one third from the upper end) between the thumb and forefinger right hand. Hold the stick with the thumb and ring fingers so that the index, middle and thumb form a ring.

3. Take the second stick, placing it parallel to the first, at a distance of 15 millimeters. When the middle finger straightens, the sticks move apart.

4. Bring the chopsticks together, bending the index finger, and pinch with the tips what they want to put into the mouth. In addition, if the piece is too large, you can use chopsticks to separate it, but only very carefully.

Table culture with Chinese chopsticks

Since Chinese chopsticks are part of the culture, there are certain rules behavior at the table when using them. In general, the set of rules for using khasi is as follows:

• Do not tap your chopsticks on the table, plate or other objects to call the waiter.
• Do not “draw” with chopsticks on the table, do not “wander” aimlessly around the food with chopsticks.
• Before you reach for your chopsticks, choose a piece.
• Always take food from the top, do not poke around in the bowl with chopsticks in search of the best piece. If you touch food, eat.
• Don't stick food on sticks.
• Do not shake the chopsticks to cool the piece.
• Do not put your face in the bowl or bring it too close to your mouth and then use chopsticks to stuff food into your mouth.
• Do not compact food brought to your mouth using chopsticks.
• Don't lick the chopsticks.
• Don't just keep chopsticks in your mouth.
• When not using chopsticks, place them with the sharp ends to the left.
• Never pass food with chopsticks to another person.
• Never point or wave chopsticks in the air.
• Do not pull the plate towards you with chopsticks, always pick it up.
• Place your chopsticks on the table before asking for more rice.
• Do not clasp two chopsticks in your fist: the Japanese perceive this gesture as threatening.
• Never stick your chopsticks into the rice. This is prohibited and is only served to the dead before a funeral.
• Do not place chopsticks across the cup.
• After you have finished eating, place your chopsticks on a rack (hashioka).

Video lesson “How to hold Chinese chopsticks correctly”

Do you love Asian food but want to experience the full range of fun with chopsticks? Some people claim that the food tastes even better this way, and you want to see for yourself without looking stupid. From the outside it looks simple, but when you try to repeat the same thing, you end up asking for a fork. Here's how to say goodbye to that fork forever and start using chopsticks!

Steps

Maneuvering

1. Take the first stick with your middle and thumb. You must hold her tightly - the stick shouldn't move. The wide end of the stick should lie in the fold between the thumb and index finger. The stick itself should pass through the pad of the thumb and lie on the middle finger. It should be practically motionless. It's similar to how you hold a pen, but a little lower.

   • Some people prefer to hold the stick not on the middle finger, but on the ring finger, holding the end with the tip of the index finger.

2. Hold the second stick between your index finger and thumb. This stick must move. Place thumb onto the second stick so that it is higher than the first. Position your fingers so that you can comfortably grasp food. Make sure the thin ends of the chopsticks touch to prevent the chopsticks from crossing and to avoid poor grip on the food.

   • Try to align them, you can knock them on the table. It will be difficult to eat with unaligned chopsticks.

3. Practice opening and closing chopsticks. Make sure that the wide ends of the chopsticks do not form a cross, otherwise you will have difficulty gripping the food. Does only the top stick move? Great!

   • If it helps, try moving your hand down and up in the direction of the chopsticks, but keeping the same finger position. Some find it easier when their fingers are closer to the end of the sticks, some find it easier when they are at the base.

4. Try taking a piece of food. At first, it will be easiest to keep the angle at 45°. Once you get used to it, increase it. If you feel unstable, lower the sticks and try again.

   • When you learn to eat one type of food, move on to others. Try different sizes and types of products. Once you feel completely confident, practice with noodles!

   Etiquette

   Learn the rules for sharing food. Often Asian dinner table(at home or in a restaurant) consists of huge plates of food that people share among themselves. In this case there will be wrong Dip your individual chopsticks into a common plate of food after they have already been in your mouth. You have two options:

   • Use common chopsticks that no one eats with and that have never been on your or someone else’s plate of food before.
   • Take your chopsticks with the other ends. Serve food with wide ends that hopefully you don't chew!

5. Know what to do with chopsticks when you're not eating. The rules for using chopsticks, unfortunately, do not end when you start eating. Every society has its own rules, but in general:

   • Don't stick your chopsticks into your food. This looks like a bad omen, because it looks like incense at a funeral.
   • Do not pierce food with the ends of chopsticks. If nothing helps you catch food, you may feel like it's good idea. But this looks very uncivilized.
   • Do not pass food from chopsticks to chopsticks. It is also a funeral tradition, and is considered bad (or even terrible) table manners.
   • Don't cross your chopsticks. When you're done eating, simply place them next to your plate on the left side.
   • Don't point at people with your chopsticks. Pointing at someone in general is indecent in Asia, and even more so with chopsticks.
     • This page would be endlessly long if all the rules of table manners were presented here. However, this basic rules, which you need to know.

6. If you eat rice, be prepared for a lot of work. If you have a bowl of rice in front of you, you probably feel like a rower without an oar. But it is completely normal (and even acceptable) if you take the bowl and bring it closer to your face and start eating from that position. You won't look stupid, you will look experienced!

   • Start holding the sticks in the middle or towards the ends. This way you will learn to hold the sticks straight. Once you get a little more experienced, try keeping them closer to the base.
   • Although you may find it easier to hold the chopsticks at the thin ends, holding them closer to the wide ends will allow you to increase your grip angle on the food. The chopsticks will be parallel to each other and you will be able to scoop food (such as rice) from below. You will also be able to handle larger pieces of food.
   • Take the sticks home and practice. Using the previous tips, try picking up a nut, a pen, or a piece of fish. Try eating your dinner with chopsticks.
   • The difference between an untrained person and a cultured person can be seen when you hold the chopsticks. Don't hold the chopsticks at the very end. Your hands should be kept as far away from food as possible. Do not poke food with chopsticks; it is uncivilized, rude and may offend the cook.
   • Flexible and/or sliced ​​food pieces such as cheese or sausage are great for training. They work better than diced food while you learn to hold the chopsticks straight and try to figure out how much force to use them with.
   • This The right way hold chopsticks. Ultimately, if you are able to easily take food from your plate and bring it to your mouth, you are using chopsticks effectively.
   • Clamp the chopsticks firmly, but gently, so that the food does not fall out of the chopsticks onto the table or plate. If you press too hard, the thin ends of the chopsticks may cross unless they are perfectly aligned, causing the food to fly all over the table.
   • Be patient as it takes some time to learn how to hold the chopsticks correctly. It's perfectly acceptable to ask for a fork or spoon when you're too upset about your failure.
   • Wooden and bamboo chopsticks are the easiest to use because their texture allows them to hold food. Plastic chopsticks are more difficult to use. Metal chopsticks, favored by Koreans, are the most difficult to use. Improve your skill with one type of stick and move on to another. The next time you go out, people will be amazed!

   Warnings

   • Chinese etiquette states that it is completely normal to eat rice by lifting the bowl closer to your mouth. However, in Korea it is considered indecent. Be aware of the culture and people you eat with.
   • Don't pick your teeth with chopsticks, even if there are no toothpicks on the table.
   • Choose what food you will eat before you even start eating it with chopsticks. Choosing food already on the plate is considered indecent.
   • Avoid passing food using chopsticks. As already mentioned, this is part of the Japanese funeral tradition, the relatives of the deceased pass the bones from one stick to another, and then put them in an urn. Instead, place the food you want to give to someone on a separate plate. Use new chopsticks or, if you don't have any, turn your chopsticks over with the other ends and use them, then pass the plate to another guest.
   • Do not hit the plate or bowl with chopsticks. This is what beggars did in ancient China.
   • Using chopsticks is not that easy, so don't lose your composure as you learn.

Chinese cuisine is becoming more and more popular every year. Chinese sushi and rolls win first place in ratings taste preferences even among the most conservative gourmets. In a good Chinese restaurant, they will definitely serve a fork at the guest’s request, but who wouldn’t want to feel like a master in eating Chinese food authentic instruments?

Learning to eat with Chinese chopsticks

They say that sometimes the principle of self-learning in the process works: there are Chinese chopsticks, there are rolls. Somehow you need to grab hold and eat the rolls with chopsticks. True, the sushi manages to jump off and fall right onto the wasabi. Some people think that it is enough to watch others eat with Chinese chopsticks, and the skill will come on its own.

To use Chinese chopsticks correctly, it is better to listen to a couple of very simple tips:

1. Immediately control with chopsticks high speed It may not work out - fine motor skills of the hands are fine motor skills because the ability to perfectly accurately control the movement of the fingers comes with time. Therefore, you should not chase speed. The main thing is not to drop the sushi!
2. The thick end of one stick should be placed in the hollow between the thumb and forefinger and pressed slightly. The thin end of the stick should be placed on the ring finger. Remember - this stick remains motionless, it just lies comfortably in your hand.
3. Main secret explanations. The second, “acting” stick is taken as if you were holding a writing pen! Do not think about the level of which phalanx the thin tip of the stick should be. Just hold it as you would a writing pen. With this approach, you will not need to think about how to learn to eat with chopsticks: after all, you can easily handle a writing pen, and the usual position of the chopstick in your hand will make the task easier for you!

Bon appetit!

The East is such a delicate matter that it is difficult for the broad Slavic soul to understand and accept some Asian traditions. For example, it is still difficult for our compatriots to learn to eat with Chinese chopsticks, despite the fact that the fashion for Chinese and Japanese cuisine has spread throughout the world. We love sushi and rolls, sashimi and Chinese noodles, but have difficulty eating it all with chopsticks. Probably, if it were possible to eat sushi with a fork and rice with a spoon, our people would definitely take advantage of this opportunity!

But no: if you want sushi, learn to eat sushi with chopsticks. Moreover, in our time this is already a question with a share of challenge to oneself, a certain sporting interest. How quickly can you learn to eat with chopsticks? Will you be ahead of your friends in this skill or will you learn to eat with chopsticks last at the table? If you really start such a competition in your circle, you will find our detailed instructions on using Chinese chopsticks.

Why do the Chinese eat with chopsticks? Types of chopsticks
The population of East Asia almost entirely uses chopsticks, not out of inability to use other cutlery, and certainly not out of masochism. The Chinese, as well as the Japanese, Vietnamese, Koreans and Thais, eat with chopsticks with pleasure, as bequeathed by the ancient ruler Yu the Great, who lived in the 3rd century BC. According to legend, the wise Yu performed many glorious deeds, but today he is remembered for his resourcefulness: after cooking meat in a cauldron, the mythical hero broke off two wooden twigs and used them to extract food from boiling water. Grateful contemporaries and descendants adopted this technique and made it a tradition.

Since then the sticks have become with a familiar device for about a third of the world's population. Moreover, the so-called Chinese chopsticks are just one of several types of chopsticks, which are not so difficult to distinguish from each other if you know their features:
In fact, metal sticks are also useful in their own way, at least they were not invented in vain. For example, silver darkens when in contact with arsenic, so in past centuries, when palace intrigues often claimed the lives of heirs to the throne, silver chopsticks made it possible to detect the presence of poison in food. Nowadays, you don’t have to worry about poisoning (if, of course, you eat at trusted sushi bars) and feel free to eat with wooden or plastic chopsticks.

How to learn to eat with Chinese chopsticks?
Only a few craftsmen take sticks in their hands for the first time and immediately succeed in doing something. If you are not Chinese, then first practice holding chopsticks correctly, otherwise you will hardly be able to use them. If you really want to eat, and not just sit at a set table, you will have to forget about embarrassment and try to position and hold the chopsticks in your fingers for a while. To get up to speed quickly, follow the instructions:
Now that you have the chopsticks in your hand, try not to squeeze them too tightly or strain your hand, otherwise you will not be able to move the chopsticks, which is necessary for picking up and holding food. If possible, relax your hand and try to squeeze and unclench the sharp ends of the sticks with just your index finger. It is important that the lower stick, lying between the bases of the thumb and index finger, remains motionless, and the upper one represents tweezers, pressing pieces of food.

Similar guidance can be found on each package of disposable chopsticks that are issued with your order at Chinese and Japanese restaurants. Its convenience lies in its clarity: each stage is illustrated with a schematic drawing. However, these pictures are too primitive and more like sketches hinting at how to hold chopsticks. You can look at this “cheat sheet”, but the step-by-step text instructions will explain the correct position of the fingers more clearly.

How to eat with chopsticks? What can you eat with chopsticks?
The ability to hold Chinese chopsticks in itself does not mean that you have learned to eat with chopsticks according to all the rules. The skill requires regular practice so that the need to put a piece of food into your mouth does not force you to line up the position of your fingers for half an hour. You can even practice using chopsticks at home, on available products and objects:

1. Holding the chopsticks with one hand, try moving and spreading them while without food, simply practicing the motor skills of the movements. Notice if your hand gets tired. If the brush is in correct position and relaxed, holding the sticks should not be tiring.
   
2. Start your training with large pieces of non-slip food. Slices of bread, slices of fruit and vegetables are ideal. While no one is watching, you can even eat fried potatoes with chopsticks if it helps you practice the necessary movements.
   
3. Gradually complicate the task and try to pick up smaller objects with chopsticks. Order sushi at home and practice on the rolls. Over time, when it becomes easier to hold food, use them to pick up peas, kernels of canned corn and similar small items.
   

Rules of table manners when using Chinese chopsticks
The use of chopsticks is not only about sharpening mechanical actions, but also compliance with the subtleties that have accumulated over centuries in the Eastern culture of eating. Here are some nuances that will allow you to look decent when visiting a restaurant and not lose face while sharing a meal with representatives of Asian countries:

1. Treat chopsticks with respect. Never knock them on the table, twirl them in your hands, or make any other erratic gestures. Only transferring food from a shared plate to your own and/or bringing food to your mouth is all that you are allowed to do with chopsticks.
   
2. They clamp food with chopsticks, but it is strictly forbidden to prick pieces onto chopsticks. Just as it is not customary to stick chopsticks into rice or any other food. The last prohibition is associated with traditional funeral rites, when special incense sticks are placed vertically.
   
3. Sticks are like chess: if you touch it, move. That is, if you touch a piece on a common dish with your chopsticks, you are obliged to take that particular piece for yourself. You can ask for more, but before doing so you should place your chopsticks on the table near your plate.