Oink

If you're nervous about using chopsticks, you can get them with spring hinges these days. They make eating with them a lot easier and will enhance your overall Asian dining experience. There's no need to suffer in silence anymore.

ireland2canada

They look a bit like tweezers to me.

Lord Vader

you must use 2x4's as chop sticks

ireland2canada

No, but not a bad idea. That's got to be easier than spindly little sticks.

JonboyE

I wonder if there was a meeting, back in the ancient days of China, where where the food eating utensil people got together and decided that the then civilized world were going to eat with chopsticks.

A sort of Council of Nicaea moment. Examining all the existing eating implements and specifying that from this date forward only chopsticks must be used. Not because they were the best, but because they were the most convenient to manufacture and so were in the best interests of the food eating utensil industry.

Gremmie

Which is pretty amazing as ive yet to meet a North American who knows how to use a knife & fork. Even in so called top restaurants they try and hack their way through a steak by just using the fork, or prop themselves up on their elbows whilst wielding the fork in the air with a lump of food on it. Table manners here a pretty non existent

Oink

The dirty, dirty bastards.

el_richo

With the lack of "Asian" obesity compared to, say the Yanks for example, they may be on to something.

el_richo

I farted at the table once. Luckily i was using a knife and fork at the time so got away with it.

fledermaus

When I used to eat in Gerrard St in London we used those china spoons to eat with and chopsticks or serving spoons to grab the food with. The chopsticks users were better at grabbing the food than the serving spoon users

Outside of London it was a mixture of chopstick wielders and forkers. Here, we've only eaten in a Canadian chinese restaurant and they were all forkers.

I agree with I2C that a spoon is best utensil. If there is gravy then a spoon is the answer especially if you are a messy eater- qhich I am.

another bloody yank

I was going to post that very observation, but figured it was insensitive.

We Yanks are very efficient at the task of feeding ourselves. Maximum calories while expending minimal energy.

Lord Vader

It's just that the Asians have to go chop down a tree after each meal so that they can eat their next one. North American spoon heathens will never learn.

lins and Stef McLachlan

Hi
I think using chopsticks allows you to taste each individual item better. If you can use them you should. It is worth practising at home with either chopstick or as I did with pens...just picking things up. Sometimes it is nice to try something different. My husband on the other hand can't get the food into his mouth quick enough with chopsticks, so prefers a fork......oink.....
lol
Stef

dbd33

This cannot be true. It doesn't matter if an item is placed on one's tongue by chopsticks, by a fork, or by the fingers of one's true love, it's still the same pea, dessicated pineapple chunk or jellied eel as if it were deposited by a zephyr that lifted it from Lorraine Chase's plate. It's just grub, innit?

lins and Stef McLachlan

Unlike the fork method....chopsticks won't let you put a whole shovel in your mouth at one time.......so unless you do pick each carrot or babycorn, or mushroom out with a fork...the experience is different.
lol
Stef
QUOTE=dbd33;8495602]This cannot be true. It doesn't matter if an item is placed on one's tongue by chopsticks, by a fork, or by the fingers of one's true love, it's still the same pea, dessicated pineapple chunk or jellied eel as if it were deposited by a zephyr that lifted it from Lorraine Chase's plate. It's just grub, innit?[/QUOTE]