Chopsticks
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Chopsticks | |
|---|---|
 Chopsticks made of Japanese Yew wood, resting on a chopstick rest |
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| Chinese name | |
| Mandarin | 筷子 (kuàizi ? ) |
| Shanghainese | |
| Cantonese | 筷子 (faa3 zi2 ? ) |
| Minnan | 箸 (tī POJ ) |
| Mindong | 箸 (dê̤ṳ BUC ) |
| Chaozhou | |
| Hakka | |
| Japanese name | |
| Kanji | 箸 |
| Hepburn Romaji | hashi |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 젓가락 (箸-ㅅ가락) |
| Revised Romanization | jeotgarak |
| McCune-Reischauer | chŏtkarak |
| Thai name | |
| Thai script | ตะเกียบ |
| RTGS | takiap |
| Vietnamese name | |
| Quốc ngữ | đũa |
| Chữ Nho | 箸 |
| Indonesian name | |
| Latin Alphabet | sumpit |
Chopsticks, a pair of small even-length tapered sticks, originated in China, and are the traditional eating utensils of China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and Thailand.
Chopsticks are commonly used in the first four countries and their associated cuisines. In Thailand, they are now restricted to just soup and noodles since the introduction of Western utensils by King Rama V in the 19th century.
Chopsticks are commonly made of wood, bamboo, metal, bone, ivory, and in modern times, plastic as well. The pair of sticks is manoeuvred in one hand – between the thumb and fingers – and used to pick up pieces of food.
Contents |
[edit] History
Tools resembling chopsticks were unearthed in the archaeological site Meggido in Israel, belonging to Scythian invaders of Canaan. This discovery may reveal the existence of a trade relationship between the Middle East and Asia in early antiquity or may be an independent parallel development. Chopsticks were also common household items of civilized Uyghurs on the Mongolian steppes during the 6th–8th centuries.[1]
[edit] Etymology
The Mandarin Chinese word for chopsticks is kuàizi (筷子) or kuài'er (筷儿/筷兒). 筷 is a semantic-phonetic (xíngshēng) compound with a phonetic part of "快", which means quick, and a semantic part meaning bamboo.
In Chinese, the old word for "chopsticks", and also in some varieties of modern Chinese such as Minnan, was zhù (MC: d̪jwo-) (箸 Pinyin:zhù, Minnan: tī). However, zhù became a taboo on ships because it sounded the same as another word meaning "to stop" (住). Consequently, it was replaced by a word of opposite meaning, kuai (fast, quick). This gradually spread until it became the word for "chopsticks" in most varieties of modern Chinese. The character for this new meaning of "chopsticks" (筷) for kuai has the semantic element of bamboo added to the character meaning "fast" kuai (快). [1]
The English word chopstick seems to have been derived from Chinese Pidgin English, a pidgin where "chop chop" meant quickly.[2] [3]
In Japanese, chopsticks are called hashi, written 箸. They are also known as otemoto (おてもと?), a phrase commonly printed on the wrappers of disposable chopsticks.
In Korean, 箸 (jeo) is used in the compound jeotgarak (젓가락) which is composed of jeo (chopsticks) and garak (stick). Jeo cannot be used alone.
In Vietnamese, chopsticks are called "đũa," also from 箸.
In Thai chopsticks are called takiap (ตะเกียบ).
[edit] Usage
Held between the thumb and fingers of one hand, they are used as tongs to pick up portions of food, which is prepared or is cut up and brought to the table in small and convenient pieces, and (except in Korea) as means for sweeping rice and small pieces of food into the mouth from the bowl. Many rules of etiquette govern the proper conduct of the use of chopsticks.
Chopsticks are traditionally held in the right hand only, even by left-handed people. Although chopsticks may now be found in either hand, a few still consider left-handed chopstick use as improper etiquette.
Chopsticks are simple in design: merely two thin rods (top and bottom area smaller than one square centimeter, length varies), each slightly tapered. The smaller, round ends come in contact with the food. Some designs have rings carved around the tips, which aid in grabbing food. In chopstick-using cultures, food is generally made into small pieces. Also, rice in East Asia is often prepared to be sticky, which leads to "clumping" of the rice conducive to eating with chopsticks, while rice prepared using Western methods tend to be "fluffy", and is particularly difficult to eat with chopsticks. The stickyness also depends on the cultivar of rice; the cultivar used in East Asian countries tends to be japonica, which is stickier than indica, a rice used in most Western and South Asian countries. In chopstick-using cultures, people first learn to use chopsticks as children. Chefs and cooks also use chopsticks as a cooking tool.
[edit] Types
There are several styles of chopsticks that vary in respect to:
- Length: Very long chopsticks, sometimes upwards of a meter in length, but usually about thirty or forty centimeters, tend to be used for cooking, especially for deep frying foods. In Japan they are called saibashi (菜箸). Shorter chopsticks are generally used as eating utensils but are nevertheless used in the kitchen for cooking.
- Tapering: The end of the chopsticks for picking up food are tapered to a blunt or a pointed end. Blunt tapered chopsticks provide more surface area for holding food, and for pushing rice into the mouth. Pointed tapered chopsticks allow for easier manipulation of food and for picking out bones from whole cooked fish.
- Material: Chopsticks can be made from a variety of materials: bamboo, plastic, wood, bone, metal, jade, and ivory.
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- Bamboo and wood chopsticks are cheap, low in temperature conduction and provide good grip for holding food due to their matte surfaces. However, they can warp and deteriorate with continued use, and can harbor bacteria if not properly cleaned. Almost all cooking and disposable chopsticks are made of either bamboo or wood. Disposable unlacquered chopsticks are used especially in restaurants. These often come as a piece of wood which is partially cut, and then must be broken into two chopsticks by the user. In Japanese, these are known as waribashi (割り箸).
- Plastic chopsticks are cheap and low in temperature conduction. Furthermore they do not harbor bacteria or deteriorate much with continued use. Plastic chopsticks however, cannot be used for cooking since high temperatures may damage the chopsticks and produce toxic compounds.
- Metal chopsticks are durable and are easy to clean. However, due to their smooth surfaces, metal chopsticks do not hold food as well as wood, plastic or bone chopsticks, and furthermore they tend to be more expensive. Their higher heat conduction also means that they are not as comfortable to use in cooking.
- Materials such as ivory, jade, gold, and silver are typically chosen for luxury reasons.
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- Embellishments: Wooden or bamboo chopsticks can be painted or lacquered to decorate them and make them waterproof. Metal chopsticks are sometimes roughened or scribed on the tapered end in order to make them less slippery when picking up foods. High-end metal chopstick pairs are sometimes connected by a short chain at the untapered end to prevent their separation.
[edit] Styles of chopstick used in different cultures
- Chinese: longer sticks made of different materials that taper to a blunt end.
- Japanese: short to medium length sticks that taper to a pointed end. This may be attributed to the fact that the Japanese diet consists of large amounts of whole bony fish. Japanese chopsticks are traditionally made of wood and are lacquered. Some chopstick sets include two lengths of chopsticks - shorter ones for women, and longer ones for men. Child-sized chopsticks are also widely sold.
- Korean: medium-length stainless-steel rods that taper to a square blunt end, traditionally made of brass or silver. Many Korean metal chopsticks are ornately decorated in the untapered end.
- Vietnamese: long sticks that taper to a blunt end; traditionally wooden, but now made of plastic as well. A đũa cả is a large pair of flat chopsticks that is used to serve rice from a pot.
[edit] Use
- Put one chopstick between the palm and the base of the thumb, using the ring finger (the fourth finger) to support the lower part of the stick. With the thumb, squeeze the stick down while the ring finger pushes it up. The stick should be stationary and very stable.
- Use the tips of the thumb, index and middle fingers to hold the other stick like a pen. Make sure the tips of the two sticks line up.
- Pivot the upper stick up and down towards the stationary lower stick. With this motion one can pick up food of surprising size.
- With enough practice, the two sticks function like a pair of pincers.
Tip: Chopsticks generally should be held at the thicker end about a third along their length for balance and efficiency. For greater reach to pick up food further away, hold the chopsticks at the upper ends.
If the tips fail to line up, it will be difficult to hold things. Hold the chopsticks upright with one of the tips lightly touching the table, and gently push the chopsticks down or gently loosen your grip for a moment to let both tips become equal in length. You can also adjust your grip or holding position this way.
With practice, it is possible to perform step one and two simultaneously, on picking up the chopsticks with one hand, with a single fluid and seamless motion. Adjust your grip if necessary.
[edit] Etiquette
It is important to note that the chopsticks are used in a large geographic area. While principles of etiquette are similar, the finer points may differ from region to region, and there is no single standard for the use of chopsticks. Generally, chopsticks etiquette is similar to general Western etiquette regarding eating utensils.
[edit] Universal
In cultures that make use of chopsticks, the following practices are followed:
- Chopsticks are not used to make noise, to draw attention, or to gesticulate.
- Chopsticks are not used to move bowls or plates.
- Chopsticks are not used to toy with one's food, or with dishes in common.
- Chopsticks are not used to pierce food, save in rare instances. Exceptions include tearing larger items apart such as vegetables and kimchi. In informal use, small, difficult to pick-up items such as cherry tomatoes or fishballs may be stabbed but this use is frowned upon by traditionalists.
- Chopsticks can be rested horizontally on one's plate or bowl to keep them off the table entirely. A chopstick rest can also be used to keep the points off the table.
- Chopsticks should not be left standing vertically in a bowl of rice, or other food. Any stick-like object pointed upwards resembles the incense sticks that some Asians use as offerings to deceased family members; certain funerary rites designate offerings of food to the dead using standing chopsticks.
[edit] Chinese etiquette
- In Chinese culture, it is normal to hold the rice bowl up to one's mouth and use chopsticks to push rice directly into the mouth.
- Chinese traditionally eat rice from a small bowl held in the left hand. The rice bowl is raised to the mouth and the rice pushed into the mouth using the chopsticks. Some Chinese find it offensive to scoop rice from the bowl using a spoon. If rice is served on a plate, as is more common in the West, it is acceptable and more practical to eat it with a fork or spoon.
- The blunt end is sometimes used to transfer food from a common dish to a diner's plate or bowl.
- A set of chopsticks are one of the wedding gifts normally presented to Chinese newlyweds as the Chinese words for "chopsticks" and "to bear a son soon" sound the same.
- It is acceptable to transfer food to closely related people (e.g. grandparents, parents, spouse, children, or significant others) if they are having difficulty picking up the food. Also it is a sign of respect to pass food to the elderly first before the dinner starts (part of the Confucian tradition of respecting seniors).
- When communal chopsticks are supplied with shared plates of food, it is considered impolite and unhygienic to use eating chopsticks to pick up the food from the shared plate or eat using the communal chopsticks.
[edit] Japanese etiquette
- Food should not be transferred from one's own chopsticks to someone else's chopsticks. Japanese people will always offer their plate to transfer it directly, or pass a person's plate along if the distance is great. Transferring directly is how bones are passed as part of Japanese funeral rites.
- The chopsticks should never be stuck into the rice, as this custom is part of Japanese funeral rites.
- The pointed ends of the chopsticks should be placed on a chopstick rest when the chopsticks are not being used.
- Reversing chopsticks to use the opposite clean end is commonly used to move food from a communal plate, although it is not considered to be proper manners. Rather, the group should ask for extra chopsticks to transfer food from a communal plate.
- Chopsticks should not be crossed on a table, as this symbolizes death.
[edit] Korean etiquette
- Koreans consider it rude to pick the rice bowl off of the table and eat from it.
- The blunt handle end is not considered sanitary and is not used to transfer food from common dishes.
- Unlike other chopstick cultures, Koreans use a spoon (traditionally, relatively flat, circular head with straight stick handle, unlike the Chinese and Japanese soup spoon and similar to the Western spoon) for their rice and soup, and chopsticks for most other things at the table.
- The small food bowls should not be eaten directly from. Unlike the rice eaten in many parts of China, Korean steamed rice can be easily picked up with chopsticks, although eating rice with a spoon is more acceptable.
[edit] Vietnamese etiquette
- As with Chinese etiquette, the rice bowl is raised to the mouth and the rice is pushed into the mouth using the chopsticks.
- Unlike with Chinese dishes, it is also practical to use chopsticks to pick up rice in plates, such as fried rice, because Vietnamese rice is typically sticky.
- As with Korean etiquette, it is proper to always use two chopsticks at once, even when using them for stirring.
- One should not pick up food from the table and place it directly in the mouth. Food must be placed in your own bowl first.
- Chopsticks should not be placed in the mouth while choosing food.
- Chopsticks should never be placed in a "V" shape when done eating; it is interpreted as a bad omen.
[edit] Environmental impact
In China alone, an estimated 45 billion pairs of disposable chopsticks are used and thrown away annually. This adds up to 1.7 million cubic metres of timber or 25 million fully grown trees every year. To encourage that people use and throw away less, as of April 2006 a five percent tax is added to the price of chopsticks. This measure is part of the first tax package in 12 years.
[edit] Medical problems
A 2003 study found that regular use of chopsticks may slightly increase the risk of osteoarthritis in the hand, a condition where cartilage gets worn off, leading to pain in the hand joints, particularly among the elderly.[2] There have also been concerns regarding the use of certain white disposable chopsticks that may pose a health risk, causing coughing or even leading to asthma. [3]
A 2006 Hong Kong Department of Health survey has found that, the proportion of people using serving chopsticks, spoons or other serving utensils have increased from 46% to 65% since the SARS outbreak in 2003.[4]
[edit] Trivia
- In many Asian integrated circuits and liquid crystal display factories, being capable of picking up small beads quickly with a pair of chopsticks is a requirement of employment. This is a very simple test of eye-hand coordination.[citation needed]
- It is believed that silver chopsticks were used in the Chinese imperial palace to detect poison (possibly metallic oxides) in the Emperor's meals; if poison was present, the chopsticks would become blackened owing to displacement reactions on the silver.[citation needed]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Norman, Jerry (1988) Chinese, Cambridge University Press, p76.
- ^ Merriam-Webster Online. Definition of chopstick.
- ^ Norman, Jerry (1988) Chinese, Cambridge University Press, p267.
- ^ Hong Kong Department of Health survey
[edit] External links
- Japanese Chopsticks (Ohashi) Etiquette
- Chopsticks Mastery and Etiquette
- Erik's Chopsticks Gallery
- Bring Your Own Chopsticks Movement Gains Traction in Asia - The link between chopsticks and deforestation.
- A clip to help adults and children learn how to use Chopsticks
