Worldwide Chopsticks Etiquette
Chopsticks are used in many
parts of the world. While principles of etiquette are similar, finer
points can differ from region to region. Very generally, chopsticks
etiquette is reminiscent of Western etiquette regarding eating utensils.
A few guidelines stand out as advice for good manners everywhere:
Chopsticks
are not used to make noise, to draw attention, or to gesticulate.
Playing with chopsticks is considered bad mannered and vulgar (just as
playing with cutlery in a Western environment would be deemed rude).
Chopsticks should not be used to dig round the food looking for a particular morsel, which is known as "digging your grave."
Chopsticks are not used to move bowls or plates.
Chopsticks are not used to toy with one's food or with dishes in common.
Chopsticks
are not used to impale food, save in rare instances. Exceptions include
tearing large food items asunder, such as vegetables and kimchi. In
informal use, small, difficult-to-pick-up items such as cherry tomatoes
or fish-balls may be lanced, but this use is frowned upon by
traditionalists.
Chopsticks should not be left standing
vertically in a bowl of rice or other food. Any pair of stick-like
objects pointed upward resembles the incense sticks that some Asians use
as offerings to deceased family members; certain funerary rites
designate offerings of food to the dead using standing chopsticks.
Cultures have their own unique chopstick etiquette, superstitions and taboos. Following are some highlights.
Chinese Chopsticks Etiquette
It
is normal to hold the rice bowl—rice in China is rarely served on a
plate—up to one's mouth and use chopsticks to push or shovel the rice
directly into the mouth.
It is acceptable to transfer food to
closely related people (e.g. grandparents, parents, spouse, children, or
significant others) if they are having difficulty picking up the food.
Also it is a sign of respect to pass food to the elderly first before
the dinner starts. Often, family members will transfer a choice piece of
food from their plate to a relative's plate as a sign of caring.
It
is poor etiquette to tap chopsticks on the edge of one's bowl; at one
time, beggars made this sort of noise to attract attention.
It
is impolite to spear food with a chopstick. Anything too difficult to
be handled with chopsticks is traditionally eaten with a spoon.
It is unacceptable to point rested chopsticks towards others seated at the table.
Chopsticks
should not be left vertically stuck into a bowl of rice because it
resembles the ritual of incense-burning that symbolizes "feeding" the
dead and death in general.
Holding chopsticks incorrectly will reflect badly on a child's parents, who have the responsibility of teaching their children.
Traditionally,
everyone use his own chopsticks to take food from the dishes to his own
bowl, or to pass food from the dishes to the elders' or guests' bowls.
Today, serving chopsticks (??, "community-use chopsticks") are used.
These are used to take food directly from serving dishes; they are
returned to the dishes after one has served oneself.
When seated for a meal, it is common custom to allow elders to take up their chopsticks before anyone else.
Chopsticks
should not be used upside-down; it is "acceptable" to use them
'backwards' to stir or transfer the dish to another plate (if the person
does not intend to eat it). This method is used only if there are no
serving chopsticks.
One should not 'dig' or 'search' through
one's food for something in particular. This is sometimes known as
"digging one's grave" or "grave-digging" and is extremely poor form.
Resting chopsticks at the top of the bowl means "I've finished".
Resting chopsticks on the side of one's bowl or on a chopstick stand signifies one is merely taking a break from eating.
Japanese Chop Stick Etiquette
Food
should not be transferred from one's own chopsticks to someone else's
chopsticks. Japanese people will always offer their plate to transfer it
directly, or pass a person's plate along if the distance is great.
Transferring directly with chopsticks is how bones are passed as part of
Japanese funeral rites.
The pointed ends of the chopsticks
should be placed on a chopstick rest when the chopsticks are not being
used. However, when a chopstick rest is not available as it is often the
case in restaurants using waribashi (disposable chopsticks), a person
may make a chopstick rest by folding the paper case that contained the
chopsticks.
Reversing chopsticks to use the opposite clean
end is commonly used to move food from a communal plate, although it is
not considered to be proper manners.[citation needed] Rather, the group
should ask for extra chopsticks to transfer food from a communal plate.
Chopsticks
should not be crossed on a table, as this symbolizes death, or
vertically stuck in the rice, which is done during a funeral.
It
is rude to rub wooden chopsticks together after breaking them apart, as
this communicates to the host that the user thinks the chopsticks are
cheap.
Chopsticks should be placed right-left direction; the
tips should be on the left. Placing diagonal, vertical and crossing each
stick are not acceptable both in home and restaurant manners.
In formal use, disposable chopsticks (wari-bashi) should be replaced into the wrapper at the end of a meal.
Korean Chopstick Etiquette
In Korea, chopsticks are paired with a spoon, and there are conventions for how these are used together.
The elders pick up the utensils first, then the younger ones do.
It
is considered uncultured and rude to pick up a dish or a bowl to bring
it closer to one's mouth, and eat its content with chopsticks (except
certain noodle dishes like naengmyeon). A spoon is used with chopsticks,
if the food lifted "drips". This is in stark contrast to Chinese and
Japanese convention.
When laying chopsticks down on the table
next to a spoon, one must never put the chopsticks to the left of the
spoon. Chopsticks are only laid to the left during the food preparation
for the funeral or the memorial service for the deceased family members,
known as jesa.
Use a spoon to eat soup, stew and liquid side dishes, and chopsticks for solid side dishes. Either may be used for eating rice.
Vietnamese Chop Sticks Etiquette
As with Chinese etiquette, the rice bowl is raised to the mouth and the rice is pushed into the mouth using the chopsticks.
Unlike with Chinese dishes, it is also practical to use chopsticks to pick up rice in plates, such as fried rice.
One should not pick up food from the table and place it directly in the mouth. Food must be placed in your own bowl first.
Chopsticks should not be placed in the mouth while choosing food.
Chopsticks should never be placed in a "V" shape when done eating; it is interpreted as a bad omen.
Taiwanese Chopsticks Etiquette
Food
should not be transferred between chopsticks. Food in need of
transportation should be placed onto the recipient's plate or on a new
plate for collection.
Using chopsticks like a knife and fork to cut soft foods into smaller portions for children is widely accepted.
Chopsticks
should not be planted on the rice such that they stand up, as this
resembles incense stuck in the ash of a censer and is thus connected
with death.
Chopsticks should not be rested on the table but
rather on a provided chopstick rest or lying across the rice bowl in a
sideways fashion. Alternatively, they can be placed flat on the bowl
when finished.
Chopsticks should not be bitten on, or linger in one's mouth for too long.
Chopsticks Etiquette Cup
We have a cute Japanese Etiquette Tea Cup
with artwork showing the 10 chopstick etiquette taboos. It's a fun way
to show your guests about Japanese chopstick etiquette. See it on
EverythingChopsticks.com.