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Re: Chopsticks Posted: Fri November 8, 2002 07:10 AM UTC
just a guess, that chopsticks have been around far longer than knives, forks and spoons. probably people got tired of eating with their hands !!!
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Re: Re: Chopsticks Posted: Fri November 8, 2002 07:17 AM UTC
Good question, Ulrike! I'm curious myself, so I hope for some good explainations!
Christine
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Re: Chopsticks Posted: Fri November 8, 2002 07:20 AM UTC
They say that a Chinese can give up and away everything except the chop sticks. They would die without them , because they will not eat with their hands..
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Re: Chopsticks Posted: Fri November 8, 2002 07:34 AM UTC
Interesting question. I have no idea either but it started long long time ago.
From the net, I found this answer:
"Chinese choose chopsticks as their tableware rather than a knife and fork since Chinese people, under the cultural guidance of Confucianism, consider a knife and fork to represent a sort of violence, and to resemble cold weapons. However, chopsticks reflect gentleness and benevolence, the main moral teachings of Confucianism." - http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/cuisine_drink/cuisine/chopsticks.htm
However, I'm not certain if this is exactly the anwer either. Perhaps we could check with Mei :-)
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Re: Re: Chopsticks Posted: Fri November 8, 2002 07:53 AM UTC
Sharrie you are right on that one! I remember my grandma telling me when I was young that it's "barbaric" to eat with knife and fork. No offence!
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Re: Re: Chopsticks Posted: Fri November 8, 2002 07:55 AM UTC
Hi Kristiina,
When there's no chopsticks there's always the knife and fork. :)
I do eat with my hands! :p
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Re: Re: Chopsticks Posted: Fri November 8, 2002 07:57 AM UTC
Lol... that may be why we are using plastic fork & knife on the plane now ;-) EXCEPT for many of the flights to China!!! Now, why do they allow this in China?
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Re: Re: Chopsticks Posted: Fri November 8, 2002 08:01 AM UTC
Hi VN, the Indonesians & Malays eat with their hands :-) & with curry too!
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Re: Re: Chopsticks Posted: Fri November 8, 2002 08:11 AM UTC
Yubert, good reply !! Its faster !! LOLOL !!!
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Re: Re: Chopsticks Posted: Fri November 8, 2002 08:13 AM UTC
I got to find this online:
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Chopsticks were in use by the Shang dynasty (1766 BC - 1122 BC). In fact, the first chopsticks may have been twigs used to spear a roast cooked over an open fire. The enduring popularity of chopsticks may actually be linked to Chinese cooking methods - before stir-frying the food is cut into tiny pieces, making them easy to manipulate with a chopstick. chopsticks have been the utensil of choice throughout China since the Han dynasty (approximately 200 BC to 200 AD).
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Re: Re: Chopsticks Posted: Fri November 8, 2002 08:16 AM UTC
I think this website is pretty cool about it. <a href>http://www.kwdavids.net/chopstick.html</a>
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Re: Re: Chopsticks Posted: Fri November 8, 2002 08:27 AM UTC
hmmm I thought it was bad manners to spear things with your chopsticks. THat's the funniest thing to watch - foreigners trying to spear chunks of stir fry on a chopstick, hahaha.
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Re: Re: Chopsticks Posted: Fri November 8, 2002 09:29 AM UTC
Sharrie! There's nothing better than waking up with a hangover and eating a curry breakfast off a banana leaf using just your hands...... well maybe there's a couple of things better but I loved it in Penang!
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Re: Re: Chopsticks Posted: Fri November 8, 2002 11:29 AM UTC
sharrie,
that is the story I heard as well.
knives are seen as wheapons and eating is a social occupation.
Sharing a meal is not just eating together but also socializing, negocating... and when you have to make deals... you don't do that with wheapens at hand?
Although I almost popped my shopstick in my neighbour's eye, leaving him blind, when I first tried them out `-)
dangerous too!
hehehe , ok that last part was just me kidding.
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Re: Re: Chopsticks Posted: Fri November 8, 2002 12:56 PM UTC
I found this on the web.
"Legend of `kuai zi' The first recorded use of Chinese chopsticks appeared 3,100 year ago, when a Western Zhou Dynasty (11th century - 770 B.C.) king wielded a pair of ivory chopsticks around 1144 B.C. According to legend, however, the earliest chopsticks were invented by Da Yu, the king known for fighting floods, who used a pair of twigs snapped from a tree to remove boiled meat from a pot over 4,000 years ago. Since then, chopsticks have been made by an vast array of materials, includes bamboo, wood, metal, animal horns, jade, ivory, porcelain and plastic."
Joan
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Re: Re: Chopsticks Posted: Fri November 8, 2002 02:11 PM UTC
Interesting topic....the things I learn on VT !! :)
and Eddie, I did not know you were a smoker!
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Re: Re: Chopsticks Posted: Fri November 8, 2002 02:20 PM UTC
Well, Eddie, it's time to stop. You hear!! :)
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Re: Chopsticks Posted: Fri November 8, 2002 02:33 PM UTC
Wow! Thanks a lot for all your help! This are incredible websites you noted. Everybody of you helped me a lot!
Have fun
Ulrike
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Re: Chopsticks Posted: Wed November 13, 2002 06:06 AM UTC
Simcard and Joan give the right answer. As a Chinese, I'd like to draw a conclusion that it is really a tradition for Chinese to use chopsticks, but the most important reason for them to use chopsticks is that Chinese think chopsticks are the most convenient eating tool. The chopsticks just like two longer fingers which help us to get the food in a big table and can do many act just like nip, poke,pinch,pick and peel. Maybe you can try to use them and you will find them are amazing:)
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