Chopsticks are sticks used in pairs as cutlery. Chopsticks are traditionally used for eating in many Asian countries. These include China, Japan, Singapore due to being a predominantly ethnic Chinese country , Korea, Malaysia and Vietnam, etc (In East Asia and Southeast Asia). Most chopsticks are made of wood, bamboo or plastic.
Today, chopsticks are mainly used in China and neighboring countries. Chopsticks are often used in restaurants outside of Asia when serving Asian foods.
Chopsticks came from China as early as the Shang dynasty (1600–1100 BC).[1] The creation of chopsticks might have been influenced by the teachings of Confucius.[2] They were widely used throughout East Asia. Tools like chopsticks were also found in the archaeological site Megiddo in Israel. This discovery may mean there was some form of trade between the Middle East and Asia in early antiquity. Alternatively, such tools may have developed independently in both the Middle East and Asia. Chopsticks were also common household items of civilized Uyghurs on the Mongolian steppes during the 6th–8th centuries.[3]
The English word "chopstick" seems to come from Chinese Pidgin English. In this simplified language, "chop chop" meant quickly.[4][5]
The Mandarin Chinese word for chopsticks is kuàizi (筷子). The first character "筷" is made of different parts. It has the phonetic part of "快" (kuài), which means quick, and a semantic part, 竹, meaning bamboo.[6]
The sticks are held together in the same hand. Usually this is the right hand.[7] At some formal occasions it may be considered rude to use chopsticks with the left hand.[8]
If the tips do not 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 right away, on picking up the chopsticks with one hand smoothly. Hold the chopstick at different angles if necessary in order to feel comfortable with two sticks between your fingers.
Chopsticks are used in many countries; those eating with chopsticks generally observe the following rules:
Chopsticks are used in many countries. Chopsticks are sometimes different in those countries.
Chopsticks are used in cooking to stir materials in a pan, or to help move meals.
In Japan, people use chopsticks during the funeral ceremony of Buddhists. After burning the dead, family and friends use chopsticks to move the burned bones of the dead from the coffin to a pot.[10]
Using a set of chopsticks only once, and then throwing them away causes problems for the environment.[11][12] In Japan, single-use chopsticks are called waribashi (split chopstick). Before using, people split it into two.[13] There are some movements which aim at telling people to use a set of chopsticks more than once.[14] In China, about 45 billion pairs of disposable chopsticks are used per year. This is equal to 1.7 billion cubic metres of timber–about 25 million fully grown trees. China is the biggest producer of disposable chopsticks, about 60,000 people have a job making chopsticks.
For this reason, China has introduced a tax on chopsticks that are only used once. There are also moves to replace disposable chopsticks made of wood by plastic or metal ones.[12]
In 2003, a study was done. It found that people who use chopsticks regularly have a slightly higher risk of getting arthritis in the hand. With this, cartilage gets worn off, which causes pain in the joints of the hand. This is more common in older people.[source?] The Hong Kong Department of Health did a study in 2006. It found that generally, people use chopsticks or other food utensils more often than in 2003 when eating with others. It also found that personal hygiene has improved.[15]