Learn your chopsticks etiquette!

QUEZON City, Philippines (Eagle News Service, July 20) – With the popularity of Asian dishes like Korean, Chinese and Japanese cuisine, many Filipinos are going out of their way to learn how to use chopsticks so that their appreciation of said cuisines could be considered as a complete experience.

Learning how to use chopsticks is hard, but with practice and diligence, one can be an expert in just a short time.

Chopsticks originated from China, where it was called kuaizi, which could mean “quick”or “bamboo”. It spread to other East Asian countries and has been in use for six thousand years. In Japan, it is called hashi, while in Korea, it is called jeotgarak.

Of course, learning how to use chopsticks is just half of the challenge, you also have to learn the etiquette in their proper use.

Each country has a different set of chopstick etiquette. What is appropriate in one may not be acceptable to others. But there is a set of chopstick etiquette that can be considered as universal:

Chopsticks should not be used to make noise, to draw attention or to gesture.

Chopsticks shouldn’t be used to move plates or bowls.

In general, chopsticks are not used to impale food.

Do not leave chopsticks standing vertically in a bowl of rice.

Among the Chinese, one should place their rice bowl near the mouth, and then use chopsticks to shovel or push the food directly into the mouth.

It is acceptable to share food to closely-related people like your parents, grandparents, spouse, children especially if they are having difficulty picking up the food. It is also a sign of respect to pass the food to the elderly first before the meal starts.

The Chinese consider it poor etiquette to point rested chopsticks at others seated at the table.

Resting the chopsticks at the top of the bowl means you are finished. Resting the chopsticks at the side means you are just taking a break from eating.

Among the Japanese, the pointed end of the chopsticks should be placed in a chopstick rest when the chopsticks are not being used.

In Korea, chopsticks is usually paired with a spoon. The elders pick up the utensils first, then the younger ones do.

Koreans consider it rude when you pick up a bowl and placed it near your mouth to eat. This is where a spoon comes in. It is used to catch the food drippings.

When laying chopsticks down with the spoon, the chopsticks must not be placed in the left of the spoon.

When we learn how to use the utensils of other culture, we should also learn the basic etiquette regarding their use.

(ENS, written by Jay Paul Carlos, with additional research of Lovely Ann Cruz)