How to eat beautifully and correctly with Chinese chopsticks: tips, recommendations. Etiquette when eating with chopsticks

A little history

The history of the appearance of sticks, as well as the entire history of the Celestial Empire, is rooted in hoary antiquity. The first mentions of such a simple cutlery are found in manuscripts dating back to the 3rd millennium BC. Legends say that sticks owe their appearance to human intolerance.

The reluctance to wait for the tasty morsel to cool down forced the smart Chinese to grab it with the first object that came to hand. This item turned out to be a sprout of ordinary bamboo. Of course, the historical prototype only vaguely resembled its modern analogue. It was a fragment of a bamboo branch, split in the center and bent in half - a kind of tongs that ancient cooks used for cooking.

Then the bamboo branch bent in half was transformed into 2 separate fragments. Several thousand years passed before they migrated from the kitchens to the tables of the local aristocracy. In past centuries, representatives of the privileged classes were allowed to use cutlery. And only at the turn of the 7th – 8th centuries AD, sticks, which in the Middle Kingdom are called kuaizi, came to the people.

What not to do

• Do not leave chopsticks sticking out of the cup or sticking them into food.
• Do not cross your wands, this is considered a bad omen.
• Do not pierce food with them, except for those moments when you need to separate one piece from another.
• Do not move plates with chopsticks on the table.
• Do not point the device at people or at the food you are asking to pass from the other end of the table.
• Don't pass food from one person to another with chopsticks: this is reminiscent of a Japanese funeral tradition.

What are Chinese chopsticks made of?

But chopsticks are not only made from bamboo. Also used:

• ivory;
• sandalwood;
• plastics;
• precious and semi-precious metals;
• wood of noble tree species.

Decorative Chinese chopsticks combine functional and aesthetic components. This is not just a household item, it is a real work of art. Encrusted with precious stones or painted in the best traditions of Chinese painting, they are the embodiment of the craftsmanship of the eastern people. Photos of collectible items once again confirm this fact.

Restaurants usually serve disposable wooden utensils called weisheng kuaizi. They have no decorative value, since their design is very simple and uncomplicated. A special feature of such sticks is the unfinished cut at the thickened base. Before starting a meal, weisheng kuaizi should be divided into 2 fragments and only then begin to eat rice, sushi or noodles.

Japanese chopsticks, called hashi, appeared in the Land of the Rising Sun much later than in China. Japan acquired cutlery only by 500 AD.

Ready to eat sushi?

Now that you're ready to eat sushi with chopsticks, is it helpful to learn how to make sushi yourself? That's why we've written a handy beginner's guide that will show you how to make delicious sushi in 25 minutes. Try it!

Types of sushi and algae

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How to eat with Chinese chopsticks instructions

In recent years, the irresistible desire of representatives of other nationalities to master such an unusual device has been clearly visible all over the world. This is largely due to the incredible popularization of Asian cuisine. Sushi and rolls, which were considered exotic food just a few decades ago, have now become firmly established in the diet of modern Europeans.

Practice holding chopsticks

Despite the fact that there are generally accepted rules that should be followed when learning to “control” sticks, improvisation has not been canceled.

A simple analogy can be made with writing. In first grade, we are all shown how to hold a ballpoint pen correctly. And we, observing the correct inclination, learn to write each letter. But very soon everyone develops their own individual writing style. Pay attention to how your friends or colleagues hold a pencil and pen, and you will be surprised to note that in this position there is very little left of what we were taught in elementary school.

It’s the same with kuazi. In order not to experience discomfort during a meal, before learning how to hold Chinese chopsticks, you need to try to find the most comfortable position for them on your fingers.

• To do this, take the lower stick in your right hand so that its thickened end is located in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe joint of the thumb and index finger, protruding literally 2 - 3 cm, and squeeze. Place the free edge at the base of the nail phalanx. If done correctly, it will be securely fixed, and the index and ring fingers will be completely free.
• At this stage of training, it doesn’t hurt to rotate these fingers, making sure that the clamped stick remains motionless and the little finger does not protrude.
• After the first stage of training has been successfully completed, you can proceed to the next one. To do this, place the second stick on top of your middle and index fingers, and press with your thumb.
• Adjust the position of the kuaizi relative to each other. The lower one should protrude literally 0.5 cm beyond the surface of the hand. This will allow you to perfectly align the pointed edges when grasping food and securely hold even the smallest pieces with the help of chopsticks. An indicator of virtuoso skill is the ability to lift grains of rice with the tips.

Detailed instructions with photos and a thematic video will help you understand unclear points.

Proper use of chopsticks

Chinese traditions imply the presence of common dishes with food on the table, from which all participants in the meal serve their own plates of food. And there seems to be nothing unusual about this, but small details should be remembered. It is forbidden:

• mix the general food, looking for an appetizing piece;
• take food from a common plate with used chopsticks;
• twirl the chopstick over the plates, choosing where to start the meal;
• Having touched any piece, leave it on a common dish; it must be eaten;
• move the plates with chopsticks.

You should also pay attention to the position of your arms and hands during meals. Watch how you take food from a common dish. Fingers should be down, chopsticks pointing vertically down, and hands parallel to the surface of the table.

When you finish eating, do not place the kuaizi across the plate. Such a gesture will be perceived as a sign of disrespect. It is better to place it on a special stand, the name of which is hasioki.

Traditional materials and size

How to hold Chinese chopsticks

Chopsticks in China are square at the base, 15–25 cm long, usually tapering towards one end. Various materials can be used to make sticks:

• Bamboo is the most popular material: bamboo chopsticks are inexpensive, easy to find everywhere in China, bamboo does not heat up and has no smell or taste.
• Wood: You can also find Chinese chopsticks made from cedar, pine, sandalwood and teak wood.
• Jade and metal: Wealthy Chinese have always preferred chopsticks made of jade, gold, bronze, brass, agate, coral, ivory and silver.
• Ceramics and plastic: thanks to the development of technology, these materials are also used today.

Did you know that China uses about 45 billion pairs of disposable chopsticks per year?! Real Chinese chopsticks are a wonderful souvenir of your trip to China. Find out about the Top 10 Chinese Souvenirs and Gifts.

Checking food for poison

Chopsticks made of silver were also used to check if food was poisoned. During the imperial dynasties, it was believed that silver sticks tend to turn black . Nowadays, it is known that silver does not react in any way to contact with arsenic or potassium cyanide, but silver products change their color when in contact with spoiled foods: eggs, onions or garlic. The thing is that hydrogen sulfide formed during the decay of these products has a special effect on metals.

Choosing the Right Sticks

But the degree of comfort during a meal depends not only on the correct position of the chopsticks in the fingers. Their size is also of great importance. In order to nimbly handle pieces of food, the ratio of the length of the fingers and the lengths of the fingers themselves, called kuaizi, must be in maximum compliance.

• In restaurants, all visitors are served sticks 23 cm long. This is the ideal size for men of average height; the size of their palm is very often proportional to this length. But it is worth taking into account that the Chinese are significantly inferior in size to the Europeans. Therefore, such sticks may be too small for a large representative of the stronger sex of the Slavic people.
• But for a small female palm, a length of 21 cm is quite suitable.
• For children under 3 years old, the ideal size is 13 cm; by the age of 4, their length increases to 14 cm. By the age of 13, children may well resort to using twenty-centimeter devices.

To find out what size is needed for each specific case you need:

• measure the distance from the thumb to the index finger with a ruler;
• Increase the resulting distance by one and a half times;
• The result of the multiplication will correspond to the required length.

Etiquette and taboos associated with chopsticks

Despite the fact that the Chinese are much more democratic than the conservative Japanese in matters related to food intake, and willingly forgive foreigners for minor mistakes and annoying misunderstandings, it does not hurt to remember the basic traditions and rules of behavior at the table, especially if you are planning a trip to such a distant country .

• It is strictly unacceptable to prick pieces of food using a stick as an improvised fork. It’s better to ask for the usual cutlery.
• It is unacceptable to stick chopsticks into rice. Typically, such an action accompanies burial procedures and is unlikely to be appropriate at a social dinner.
• You should not knock them on the plate in the hope of attracting the waiter's attention. This gesture is characteristic of street beggars, but not of a respectable person.
• Even during heated discussions at the table, you should not gesticulate or use chopsticks as a pointer, much less point them in the direction of the person or object being discussed.
• Some Chinese allow themselves to pass fragments of food from chopsticks to chopsticks, but it is better to immediately eradicate such a habit. Japanese traditions allow such actions only during a funeral funeral ceremony.

Rules of etiquette

Showing good manners and masterful use of chopsticks will only raise your authority in the eyes of Japanese diners and friends.

• Never hit the plate or table with your chopsticks, it’s rude.
• It’s also not a good idea to move cutlery around the table and point it at something.
• If you want to take food from a common bowl, under no circumstances dig through it in search of a larger or prettier piece. You should take the first one you come across. According to the rules of etiquette, the piece that the stick touched first should be eaten.
• What you should absolutely not do is stick food on sticks, including sushi, which is only eaten at funerals.
• Before ordering more food, place the device on the table, do not fiddle with it or wave it while waiting for the dish.
• Do not clench your chopsticks into your fist; the Japanese will probably perceive such a gesture as a sign of aggression.
• Sticking cutlery into food perpendicular to the table is prohibited, unless you are having a funeral.
• You should also not lick the sticks, much less hold them in your mouth.
• Placing cutlery across a bowl is not correct.
• If you are not using chopsticks, place them parallel to the edge of the table with the thin ends to the left.
• During a meal, you should not hold the bowl too close to your face, stuffing food into your mouth with chopsticks.
• At the end of the meal, the cutlery should be placed along the stand, but in no case across it.

Now you don’t have to worry that when you go to a sushi bar or travel to East Asia, you will look ridiculous trying to taste the local cuisine according to all the rules of the host country.

How do the Chinese eat soup?

Asian cuisine is famous not only for its main courses. A variety of soups, stews, noodles and even fish soup have earned no less popularity. First courses, often called misto, are also eaten with kuaizi. For this:

• the bowl of food is taken in the hand and held suspended in the chest area;
• First, drink the broth in slow sips;
• then eat the solid ingredients with chopsticks.

It is customary to serve special porcelain spoons with some soups. In these cases, the process is greatly facilitated and becomes absolutely identical to the usual eating of soup.