Not everyone is good at eating Asian chopsticks in cafes and restaurants. Some generally try to either avoid Japanese / Chinese cuisine, or defiantly ask for the usual cutlery to be served with food. But Asians are so clever with these small thin sticks, and why not learn how to do it too?
But what is the right way to eat with chopsticks?
- The hand must be relaxed, and then slightly bend the little finger and ring finger, the middle and index fingers, on the contrary, straighten.
- Take one of the sticks in your hand about a third from the top, placing it in the middle of your thumb and forefinger. It is necessary to hold the stick so that the index, middle and thumb form a ring.
- Another stick is located about 15 mm from the first, parallel to it. When you straighten your middle finger, the sticks will begin to move apart.
- You can bring the sticks together by moving your index finger. That is, you bring the sticks closer to the dish, then bring them together, picking up with the ends what you plan to send into your mouth. By the way, you can even divide a piece with chopsticks, which is very large and difficult to take.
Chinese sticks are part of the culture, so there are even special rules regarding their use:
- You cannot knock on any objects with chopsticks in order to call a waiter to your restaurant.
- You should not reach for food with chopsticks until you have chosen a piece.
- You need to take the top food, without picking it out of the plate, looking for a "cute" piece. And if you touched food, then eat it!
- You don't need to prick food with chopsticks, although it may seem convenient to someone.
- No need to wiggle chopsticks trying to cool a piece of food.
- Avoid putting the plate very close to your face, or bending over to it and quickly stuffing food into your mouth.
- No need to lick your sticks.
- Do not stuff food with chopsticks into your mouth.
- Sticks should be pointed to the left when not in use.
- You cannot pass food with chopsticks to someone else.
- There is no need to wave sticks, gesticulate, "conduct", point them to something.
- During a meal, you need to take the plate in your hands, instead of pulling it towards you with chopsticks.
- Before asking for a supplement in a restaurant, you need to put your chopsticks on the table.
- Clamping two sticks in your fist is not a good gesture, indicating a threat from you.
- Sticks cannot be crossed on a plate or stuck into rice in a column, this is associated with death among the Japanese. This is how the dish is served to the deceased before the funeral.
- After the end of the meal, the sticks are placed on a special stand.
Why is it worth learning to eat with Asian chopsticks?
- This is convenient in the sense that, for example, a traveler does not need to carry cutlery with him, they can be made completely from any wood.
- This is useful because chopsticks will not catch more food than can fit in your mouth.
- Chinese doctors who specialize in acupressure say that eating food with chopsticks is really great. When eating with chopsticks, a person activates about 40 important points that are located on the hand. And Japanese doctors say that children who eat with chopsticks develop much faster than others.
Now you know about the benefits of using chopsticks with food, familiarized yourself with the rules of use and, I hope, were able to understand how to properly manage them. Well, then it's time to go to a restaurant with Asian cuisine!
The original article is posted here: https://kabluk.me/poleznoe/kak-pravilno-est-aziatskimi-palochkami.html
