Why does china eat with chopsticks

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Porcelain Chopsticks — Learn about Chopsticks. So, when did chopsticks appear? During the Warring States period BCE , chopsticks gradually replaced forks and knives at the dining tables of the nobility, though forks and knives remained for a period of time in the kitchen, used by chefs to cut food into pieces to serve to their employers.

Finally, over time, chopsticks spread from the hands of nobles to the hands of the people. Because of this, the general population came to see chopsticks as a symbol of civility and civilization, a defining aspect of elegant dining. People even started decorating their chopsticks with symbols of nature and religion, among other things. Eventually, the history and culture of chopsticks unfolded and spread to other countries, brought back by traders and envoys. Chopsticks developed in large part due to certain long-standing lifestyle habits of Chinese people.

Thus, Chinese eating utensils must be able to withstand heat without burning the hands of the people eating it; and so the wooden chopstick emerged.

In the Chinese household, family is the most important thing, and meals are a shared experience. Unlike in many other countries, in the Chinese household people do not have their own plates of food with individual portions — instead, there are communal dishes that everyone eats from! In this context, chopsticks are nimble enough to quickly grab single pieces of food, clean enough to not drop crumbs or sauce all over the place, and refined enough to not have to stab the food to pick it up.

Toll Free - U. Follow Us in "WeChat" by Scanning. Chinese Lessons for Adults. Chinese Lessons for Teens. Chinese Lessons for Kids. About Us. Chinese Input Method. Contact Us. How to Learn Chinese. Chinese Culture. Chinese Idiom. Popular Words. Fun Stuff. Quote of Week. In fact, during dynastic times it was thought that silver chopsticks would turn black if they came into contact with poisoned food.

It is now known that silver has no reaction to arsenic or cyanide, but if rotten eggs, onion, or garlic are used, the hydrogen sulfide they release might cause silver chopsticks to change color. Firstly, get your chopsticks the right way round. Chopsticks are usually made with around end and a square end, or with one end tapered. Use the round or tapered end to pick up food.

There is not just one right way to use chopsticks. Here's a standard way to hold and use chopsticks:. Hold the upper movable chopstick in the same way you would hold a pen to write, but with the end protruding more from the finger tips the same amount as the lower chopstick. To separate a piece of food into two pieces, exert controlled pressure on the chopsticks while moving them apart from each other. This needs a lot of practice. It's said that, "The further apart you hold your chopsticks the further from home you will go.

After you learn how to use chopsticks, you can not only use them to enjoy your meals, but can also play some chopsticks games. It is a popular good wish in China for newly married couples to have babies quickly. Therefore, it is a tradition in some areas to give chopsticks as a gift to newlyweds.