Korean chopsticks
are unique. There is a huge difference between chopsticks from Korean
and other Asian countries. Unlike China, Japan, Vietnam and Thailand
whose chopsticks are primarily made of wood and bamboo, Korean
chopsticks are made traditionally of iron and today of stainless steel.
Korean chop sticks are also flat, like the handle of a western fork or
spoon rather than round or square like other Asian cultures. In
addition, Koreans use a spoon much resembling a western spoon, along
with their chopsticks.
- Geobukseon Turtle Ship Replica
Koreans
have a long history of excelling in metalworks. In the Japanese
invasion of Korea in 1592 the Korean navy successfully used their
Geobukseon or Turtle Ships, a warship made with a metal covering
protecting soldiers from arrow and musket fire and metal spikes to deter
boarding. Today Korea is one of the world's largest and best
manufacturers of ships.
Another example of their early metal
technology is a book called 'Jikji' stored at the National Library of
France. It is the earliest known book to be printed with metal movable
type, preceding the Gutenberg press by more than 200 years.
Indeed
metal chopsticks are far more durable than wood or bamboo chopsticks.
Like western silverware metal chopsticks can last a lifetime with proper
care. Since Korean chopsticks are thinner, heavier and slipperier than
other styles of chopsticks, parents must use more patience in teaching
their children in chopsticks use.
Korea is known as the 'Eastern
country of good manners.' Korean chopstick manners vary slightly from
other cultures. For instance, unlike in China, it is not proper to lift
your bowl of rice to scoop the rice into your mouth. Children are taught
at an early age to hold their chopsticks properly and to wait until the
senior adult begins to eat before beginning their meal.
- Profile of flat Korean style chopsticks
There
has been a recent influx of tubular stainless steel chopsticks made in
China referred to as Korean style chopsticks, but that is untrue. Though
excellent chopsticks, those are made to a Japanese style and shape even
though traditional Japanese shy away from using non-natural material
chopsticks. True Korean chop sticks are flat, but despite their
diminutive size and thickness they weight considerably more than other
types of chopsticks.
You can find many styles of Korean chopsticks for sale here at Everything Chopsticks. You'll find both Korean chopsticks by the pair and Korean
chopstick and spoon sets. For those unfamiliar with eating with metal
chopsticks see our blog post article '
What's it Like to Use Metal Chopsticks?'.