Disposable Bamboo Chopsticks Created in China almost 5,000 year ago, chopsticks are used to pick up pieces of food from delicious Asian dishes and are very popular in Asia and the U.S. today. The advantages of bamboo chopsticks, like most bamboo products, are tied to bamboo’s unsurpassed sustainability. Rather than cutting down a tree that will take at least a decade or two to grow back, you can harvest bamboo and see the new culms replace the old ones in a single growing season. Bamboo is a perennial grass, and when you cut it, the stems grow right back, stronger and healthier. The advantages of bamboo chopsticks, like most bamboo products, are tied to bamboo’s unsurpassed sustainability. Rather than cutting down a tree that will take at least a decade or two to grow back,

How to Hold Your Chopsticks  Step 1 : Start by holding your dominant hand loosely. Step 2 : Place one chopsticks in the valley between your thumb and index finger with the bottom section of the chopstick resting on your ring finger. Step 3 : Next, hold the second chopstick the way you hold a pencil— lightly pinching it with your thumb, index and middle finger. Step 4 : When using the chopstick, the upper chopstick is the one you move while the bottom chopstick generally stays still. Step 5 : Remember to keep your hand relaxed and keep practicing with different foods. Ways to Use Your Chopsticks  Chopsticks are a truly adaptable tool. With practice, they can be used in a myriad of ways when eating and cooking.  1.  Stirring soups, stews and stir-fries.

Asian Chopsticks: History and Cultural Styles Chopsticks began life about 5,000 years ago in what is now China. Chopsticks are unique to Asia just as the fork is unique to Europe. The use and popularity of Asian chopsticks spread during the first millennia AD from the Han people of China to other regions of Asia to what are now Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand and more. Today approximately one third of the earth’s population use chopsticks every day. Asian chopsticks changed throughout history. They at times were short, around 7 inches, and sometimes long up to 13 inches. They were first made of wood and bamboo, and they’ve been made of other materials such as bone, ivory, silver, gold, jade and ceramic. However there is no one Asian chopstick style. Chopstick styles became unique to areas

Thoughts About the History of Chopsticks in China The following is an excerpt from the catalog of a manufacturer of chopsticks in China. It reflects how much the Chinese regard chopsticks as a vital part of their history and culture. Thoughts and Feelings on Chopsticks Preface You come from the remote past, delicate and slim, despite the vicissitudes of life in a fast-changing world. You carry on towards the future with determination. Your name is ‘Jia’, ‘Kuai’ or ‘Zhu’. Billions of people hold you tight in hand three times a day – breakfast, lunch and supper – continuously from generation to generation linked by the ties of blood, good luck and long life. Legends In the beginning our ancestors taught us how to drill wood for fire. And then how to use it to cook

How to Store Chopsticks If you’re like me, you have lots of random chopsticks loose inside a utensil drawer. Some have mates and likely some don’t, I can’t really tell. I have my favorites, but locating both sticks isn’t always easy. So let’s get a handle on storing chopsticks. There are two purposes for storing chopsticks. One is in our kitchens to keep them together, easy to grab, and protect them from the other mean stuff in a drawer. The other is on the go, taking your chopsticks out for use at lunch or a restaurant. Storing Chopsticks In the Kitchen: Countertop Containers In Asia, the most common way to store chopsticks is vertical in a container such as a large cup or bin. They are placed in the center of the table, on the

The 10 Most Important Rules of Good Chopstick Etiquette No matter whether eating dim sum in New York or noodles in Beijing, there are just certain things you should not do with your chopsticks if you want to be civilized. Naturally many of these aren’t likely acceptable when using a knife and fork either. Follow these simple rules of chopstick etiquette and good manners and you’ll be a well mannered chopstick user wherever you go. Don’t leave your chopsticks stuck vertically in your food. That’s associated with death. Don’t eat directly from serving dishes. Place food first on your plate and eat from there. Don’t stick food with your chopsticks. Accept the challenge and grab food instead. Don’t play with your chopsticks, rap them on your plate like drumsticks, make noise or wave them in