chopsticks
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chop·stick
(chŏp'stĭk') 
n.
One of a pair of slender sticks made especially of wood or ivory, held between the thumb and fingers and used as an eating utensil in Asian countries and in restaurants serving Asian food.
n.
One of a pair of slender sticks made especially of wood or ivory, held between the thumb and fingers and used as an eating utensil in Asian countries and in restaurants serving Asian food.
[Pidgin English chop, quick (probably from Cantonese kap, akin to Mandarin jí) + STICK.]
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chopsticks
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How are chopsticks made?
Chopsticks are a pair of sticks, usually wooden, used for eating Asian food. They originated in China sometime during the Shang dynasty (1766-1122 B.C.). As Chinese culture spread, chopsticks were introduced to other countries, and quickly became common across Asia. The English term chopsticks apparently is derived from the Pidgin English spoken in British Chinese colonies. A Chinese term,kuai-tzu, or quick ones became chop (Pidgin for quick) sticks.
Background
Much lore surrounds chopsticks, especially in Japan. Their use is said to promote a child's intellectual development, and at home each member of the family has his or her own pair of chopsticks which are suited to his or her hand size. Many taboos govern the use of chopsticks. For instance, the two sticks must not be grasped in one fist or laid across a bowl. It is also forbidden to stab food with chopsticks, to lick the tips, or to beat on a plate or bowl with them to get someone's attention. The shape, size, and material of chopsticks indicate specialized uses. Chopsticks for personal use may be quite ornate and beautiful, hand carved, inlaid, and coated with lacquer in traditional patterns. Plain, long wooden chopsticks with blunt tips are used for cooking. For eating out, Asian restaurants provide disposable single-use chopsticks made of light wood. There are even special long chopsticks used only for cleaning out cat litter boxes in Japan. The sticks worn in the hair of Japanese Samurai warriors in pre-modern times were apparently used for grasping the severed head of a vanquished enemy.
Raw Materials
The most prevalent material used to make chopsticks is aspen wood. Aspen is used to make the disposable chopsticks used in restaurants. About 20-billion pair are used yearly, mostly in Japan. Many other materials are used to make chopsticks designed for more than one use. Metal chopsticks are common in some areas, and elaborate chop-sticks may be carved of precious materials such as ivory or jade. Most chopsticks are made of some variety of wood, and coated with oil, paint, or lacquer. Some varieties of chopstick wood have superstitions related to them. Chestnut chopsticks are said to bring wealth, black persimmon chopsticks, long life. Other typical woods used for chop-sticks are pine, cedar, cherry, sandalwood, and paulownia. A traditional Japanese material is a sandwich of thin boards of maple, pine, and cedar called shuboku wood. In general, the wood used needs to be relatively hard and impervious to water. The color and grain of the wood is also important for fine quality chopsticks.
The Manufacturing
Process
This is the process for fine quality, hand-crafted chopsticks.
Milling the wood
- The chopstick maker begins with wood that has been only roughly cut into a board or block. It may have previously been cured, dried, or aged. This depends on the variety of wood, its hardness and imperviousness to water. The maker may study the piece of wood to find the best pattern of grain in it. Then the maker mills the wood on a bandsaw, cutting it into a smooth rectangular block just longer than the finished sticks and with the width of several pairs.
Inlaying
- If the wood is to be inlaid with a contrasting wood, this happens next. The inlay provides an interesting pattern to the finished stick. The maker cuts a trench in the milled block. Then the maker glues a thin sheet of the contrasting wood in the trench. The maker clamps the inlay to the block and lets it dry.
Cutting the blanks
- After the inlaid wood is completely dry and secure, the chopstick maker cuts blanks. The blanks are wood pieces that are roughly the length of the finished chopstick, and about 0.25 in (0.64 cm) wide. Using a table saw, the maker cuts the milled block of wood into a number of blanks, one for each finished chopstick. They come out as long, thin rectangles.
Shaping the sticks
- The rectangular blanks must next be shaped. This can be done with hand tools or mechanically. The shape of the chopstick varies according to what the maker or customer desires. Some chopsticks are square at the end, tapering to a cylindrical point, and others are cylindrical overall. The degree of taper is also a matter of discretion. The maker shapes the sticks using a handheld scraper or holds them against the belt of a sanding machine.
Sanding
- After shaping, the chopsticks need to be made smooth, so that they don't splinter in the mouth of the user. Handmade chopsticks are sanded very carefully, using several grades of sandpaper. Now they are ready for finishing with oil, paint, or lacquer.
Finishing
- Some chopsticks will be dipped in lacquer at this point. Lacquer is a natural substance made from the sap of a variety of sumac. It is nontoxic, and has long been used as a decorative wood finish in Japan and China. There are several traditional styles of chopstick lacquering in Japan, with distinctive patterns belonging to different traditional schools. The chopsticks are dipped in the liquid lacquer and hung to dry until the finish is clear and hard. The chopsticks may also simply be dipped in nontoxic paint. Fine wooden chopsticks are often finished with oil, which gives them a soft polish and brings out the beauty of the wood grain. The oil may be applied with a soft cloth, and then the maker buffs the chopsticks either by hand or by holding them against the wheel of a mechanical buffer.
Mass-produced chopsticks
Mass-produced chopsticks, especially the disposable kind, are made rapidly in a fully automated process. Aspen wood is harvested, and the finest grade wood selected. This wood is fed into a mill, which cuts it into blocks. This process typically happens at the site where the wood is grown. Then the aspen blocks are exported to the country where they will be used. The blanks are cut, sanded, and finished at a chopstick factory, which may churn out millions of pairs a year. Disposable chopsticks are typically "half-split." That is, the two halves of the chopstick pair are only half separated, and they are only snapped apart when ready to be used. So the blank in this case is actually for the pair of chopsticks, not the individual sticks.
Quality Control
The quality of the wood is very important to how well a chopstick will wear. Fine makers inspect the wood carefully before beginning, and are able to observe it throughout the manufacturing process. The maker picks the wood for a pleasing color and grain, and strives to bring out these characteristics in the shaping and finishing.
Byproducts/Waste
The disposable chopstick industry has been accused of exceedingly wasteful foresting practices. Because only very fine-grained wood is suitable for chopsticks, only some trees, or only parts of some trees, can be forested. In some cases, the forest is clear-cut, though only one quarter of the wood is then fed into the chopstick mill. The remaining lumber is left to rot or burn. The bulk of disposable chopsticks are sold in Japan, where using someone else's chopsticks is considered disagreeable. Restaurants almost always provide their customers with one-use chopsticks, but because of environmental concerns, some Japanese consumers are foregoing disposable chopsticks. Some corporations are providing their workers with reusable plastic chopsticks in company lunchrooms. Another replacement product growing in popularity is disposable chopsticks that are made only from wood obtained from forest thinning. This is supposed to represent wood that would otherwise be wasted, so the product is environmentally sound. Consumer boycotts and voiced concerns have already made disposable chopsticks a prominent environmental issue. Faced with growing opposition to their wasteful practices, chopstick manufacturers may be forced to come up with alternative.
Where to Learn More
Books
Amaury, Saint-Gilles. Mingei: Japan's Enduring Folk Arts. Boston: C.E. Tuttle, 1989.
Periodicals
"Chopped Chopsticks." The Economist (August 4,1990): 56.
Karliner, Joshua. "God's Little Chopsticks." Mother Jones (September 1994): 16.
[Article by: Angela Woodward]
Barron's Food Lover's Companion:
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chopsticks
Thin, tapered eating utensils used throughout Asia. They normally range from 10 to 12 inches long (as short as 5 inches for children) and can be made from a variety of materials, including wood, bamboo and plastic. Chopsticks used for cooking or serving can be up to 20 inches long. Japanese chopsticks are pointed at the eating end, whereas Chinese chopsticks are blunt. To use chopsticks for eating, hold them about two-thirds of the distance from the pointed end, with the upper stick between your index finger and the tip of your thumb, much as you would a pencil. The bottom chopstick should remain stationary while the upper stick is moved in an up-and-down, pincerlike motion. Always keep the tips of the chopsticks even.
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chopsticks
IN BRIEF: n. - Oriental tableware consisting of a pair of sticks used to eat food with.
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categories related to 'chopsticks'
- Utensils and Appliances - chopsticks: two small sticks for lifting food, operated in one hand
- Cutlery and Flatware - chopsticks: two small sticks of wood or ivory held in one hand and used to lift food to mouth, esp. in Asia
Bradford's Crossword Solver's Dictionary:
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chopsticks
See crossword solutions for the clue Chopstick.
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Chopsticks
"Hashi" redirects here. For the logic puzzle, see Hashiwokakero.
For other uses, see Chopsticks (disambiguation).
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| Chopsticks made of Japanese Yew wood, resting on a chopstick rest | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Chinese | 筷子 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Chinese | 箸；筯 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Quốc ngữ | đũa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chữ nôm | 𥮊 or 𥯖 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Thai | ตะเกียบ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| RTGS | takiap | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Hangul | 젓가락 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Kanji | 箸 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Indonesian | sum pit | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Filipino | sipit | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Burmese | တူ ([tù], from Hokkien 箸 tū) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Malay | sepit | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chopsticks are short, frequently tapered sticks used in pairs of equal length, which are used as the traditional eating utensils of China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam. Generally believed to have originated in ancient China, they can also be found in some areas of Tibet and Nepal that are close to Han Chinese populations, as well as areas of Thailand, Laos and Burma which have significant Chinese populations; otherwise, the traditional method of eating is with hands, and more recently, Western cutlery.[1] Chopsticks are most commonly made of wood, bamboo or plastic, but are also made of metal, bone, ivory. Chopsticks are held in the dominant hand, between the thumb and fingers, and used to pick up pieces of food.
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Etymology
The English word "chopstick" may have derived from Chinese Pidgin English, a pidgin in which "chop chop" meant "quickly".[2][3] According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the earliest published use of the word is in the 1699 book Voyages and descriptions by William Dampier: "[T]hey are called by the English seamen Chopsticks".[4]
The Chinese term for chopsticks is kuaizi (Chinese: 筷子; pinyin: kuàizi). The first character (筷) is a semantic-phonetic compound with a phonetic part meaning "quick" (快), and a semantic part meaning "bamboo" (竹).[5] The common translation is "quick little bamboo fellows".[6][7]
In ancient written Chinese, the character for chopsticks was 箸 (Middle Chinese: d̪jwo-; pinyin: zhù; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tī/tū). Although 箸 may have been widely used in ancient spoken Chinese, its use was eventually replaced by the pronunciation for the character 快 (pinyin: kuài), meaning "quick". The original character, though still commonly used in writing, is rarely used in modern spoken Chinese languages, with the exception of modern Hokkien, which maintains the old usage.
For written semantic differentiation between the "fast" versus "chopsticks" meanings of 快, a new character 筷 was created for "chopsticks" by adding the "bamboo" (竹) radical (⺮) to it.[8]
In Japanese, chopsticks are called hashi (はし), written 箸. They are also known as otemoto (おてもと) or o-temoto, a phrase commonly printed on the wrappers of disposable chopsticks. Te means hand and moto means the area under or around something.[9]
In Korean, 저 (箸, jeo) is used in the compound jeotgarak (젓가락) which is composed of jeo (chopsticks) and garak (stick). Jeo cannot be used alone.
In Vietnamese, chopsticks are called "đũa", which is written as 𥮊 with 竹 trúc (bamboo) as the semantic, and 杜 đỗ as the phonetic part in Chữ Nôm.
History
See also: List of Chinese inventions
Chopsticks originated in ancient China as early as the Shang dynasty (1766-1122 BCE). The earliest evidence of a pair of chopsticks, made of bronze, was excavated from the Ruins of Yin near Anyang, Henan, dated roughly 1200 BCE.[10][11] The earliest known extant textual reference to the use of chopsticks comes from the Han Feizi, a philosophical text written by Han Fei (c. 280-233 BCE) in the 3rd century BCE.[12]
The first chopsticks were probably used for cooking, stirring the fire, serving or seizing bits of food, and not as eating utensils. Chopsticks began to be used as eating utensils during the Han Dynasty. Chopsticks were considered more lacquerware friendly than other sharp eating utensils. It was not until the Ming Dynasty that chopsticks came into normal use for both serving and eating. They then acquired the name kuaizi and the present shape.[13]
China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam have had chopsticks as part of their traditional eating utensils for thousands of years.[14]
Use
Chopsticks are used like tongs to pick up portions of food which are already prepared in small pieces. In Japan, Chopsticks are considered more lacquerware friendly than other sharp eating utensils. Chopsticks are considered an extension of one's fingers. Chopsticks are traditionally held in the right hand, even by left-handed people. Although chopsticks may now be deployed by either hand, left-handed chopstick use is considered improper. This practice prevents a left-handed chopstick user from accidentally elbowing a right-handed user seated nearby.
To use chopsticks, the lower chopstick is stationary, and rests at the base of the thumb, and between the little finger and ring finger. The second chopstick is held like a pencil, using the tips of the thumb, index finger, and middle finger, and it is moved while eating, to pull food into the grasp of the chopsticks.[15] Chopsticks, when not in use, are placed either to the right or below one's plate in a Chinese table setting.[16]
In chopstick-using cultures, food is generally made into small pieces; however, some chopstick designs have carved rings encircling the tips to aid in grasping larger pieces of food. Short grain rice sticks together well, as does medium grain rice. Long grain rice, which has more amylose, is more commonly found in the Western world. Amylose is a long, straight, starch molecule that does not gelatinize when cooked. So, this type of rice is "fluffy" and the end result is more dry. The method of cooking determines the moisture, but even if long grain rice is cooked with more water, it will not stick together the same way medium or short grain rice will—it will just become a mass of mush at the bottom of the pot. The different types of starches in rice gives the different varieties their unique texture and characteristics. Chopsticks are easier to use on short and medium grain rice, as the rice will clump together.
Types
There are several styles of chopsticks that vary in respect to:
- Length: Very long, large chopsticks, usually about 30 or 40 centimeters, are used for cooking, especially for deep frying foods. In Japan they are called ryoribashi.[17]
- Taper: Chopsticks are usually tapered, either bluntly (Chinese style) or pointedly (Japanese style).
- Material: Chopsticks are made from a variety of materials: bamboo, plastic, wood, bone, metal, jade, porcelain and ivory.
- Bamboo and wood chopsticks are relatively inexpensive, low in temperature conduction and provide good grip for holding food. They can warp and deteriorate with continued use if they are of the unvarnished/unlacquered variety. Almost all cooking and disposable chopsticks are made of bamboo or wood. Disposable unlacquered chopsticks are used especially in restaurants. These often come as a piece of wood that is partially cut and must be split into two chopsticks by the user (demonstrating that they have not been previously used). In Japanese, these are known as waribashi (割り箸).
- Plastic chopsticks are relatively inexpensive, low in temperature conduction and are resistant to wear. Due to their composition, plastic chopsticks are not as effective as wood and bamboo for picking up food because they tend to be slippery. Also, plastic chopsticks cannot be used for cooking since high temperatures may damage the chopsticks and produce toxic compounds.
- Metal (commonly stainless steel) chopsticks are durable and easy to clean, but metal is slippery. Silver is still common among wealthy families, as are silver-tipped wooden or bone chopsticks.[18]
- Other materials such as ivory, jade, gold, and silver are typically chosen for luxury. Silver-tipped chopsticks were often used as a precaution by wealthy people, as it was believed that the silver would turn black upon contact with poison.[19]
- Embellishments: Wooden or bamboo chopsticks can be painted or lacquered for decoration and waterproofing. Metal chopsticks are sometimes roughened or scribed to make them less slippery. Higher-priced metal chopstick pairs are sometimes connected by a short chain at the untapered end to prevent their separation.
Styles in different cultures
- Chinese: longer than other styles at about 10 inches, thicker, with squared sides and ending in wide, blunt, flat tips. Chinese sticks may be composed of almost any material but the most common in modern day usage, especially in restaurants, is melamine for its durability and ease of sanitation. The second most common type of material, but more common in regular households, is lacquered bamboo.
- Japanese: shorter length sticks tapering to a finely pointed end. Japanese chopsticks are traditionally made of wood or bamboo and are lacquered. It is common for Japanese sticks to be of shorter length for women. Children's chopsticks, in miniature, are common.
- Korean: medium-length with a small, flat rectangular shape. Traditionally they were made of brass or silver. Many Korean metal chopsticks are ornately decorated at the grip. They are sometimes used simultaneously with the Korean spoon.
- Vietnamese: long sticks that taper to a blunt point, quite like the Chinese style; traditionally lacquered wood or bamboo. A đũa cả is a large pair of flat chopsticks that is used to serve rice from a pot.
- Tibetan: usually identical to the Chinese styles as they seem to be purchased mostly from China.
- Nepali: shorter and more blunt, usually made of bamboo.
Etiquette
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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:
- 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 fishballs 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.
Chinese etiquette
- Further information: Customs and etiquette in Chinese dining
- 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.[20][21]
- 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 considered poor etiquette to point rested chopsticks towards others seated at the table.[22]
- 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 (公筷, "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.
Taiwanese 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.
Japanese 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, and is acceptable if there are no communal chopsticks (for example, if the meal is hosted at someone's home). If the meal is at someone's house, communal chopsticks are not requested if there are none on the table. At a restaurant, it is better to mimic the locals. If one is the host, community chopsticks should be provided.
- Chopsticks should not be crossed on a table, as this symbolizes death, or vertically stuck in the rice, which is done during a funeral.
- 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 (waribashi) should be replaced into the wrapper at the end of a meal.
Korean 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.
- It is rude to use the same hand to hold both chopsticks and a spoon at the same time.
- 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 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.
Environmental impact
The most widespread use of disposable chopsticks is in Japan, where around a total of 24 billion pairs are used each year,[23][24][25] which is equivalent to almost 200 pairs per person annually.[26] In China, an estimated 45 billion pairs of disposable chopsticks are produced annually.[26] This adds up to 1.66 million cubic metres of timber[27] or 25 million fully grown trees every year.[26] In April 2006, the People's Republic of China imposed a five percent tax on disposable chopsticks to reduce waste of natural resources by over-consumption.[28][29] This measure had the most effect in Japan as many of its disposable chopsticks are imported from China,[26] which account for over 90% of the Japanese market.[25][30]
American manufacturers have begun exporting American-made chopsticks to China, using sweet gum and poplar wood as these materials do not need to be artificially lightened with chemicals or bleach, and are appealing to Asian consumers. The USA also has an abundance of wood, reducing the number of trees that are cut down in Asia.[31]
The American-born Taiwanese singer Leehom Wang has publicly advocated use of reusable chopsticks made from sustainable materials.[32][33] In Japan, reusable chopsticks are known as "my hashi" (meaning "my chopsticks").[34][35]
Health effects
A 2003 study found that regular use of chopsticks by the elderly may slightly increase the risk of osteoarthritis in the hand, a condition in which cartilage is worn out, leading to pain and swelling in the hand joints.[36] There have also been concerns regarding the use of certain disposable chopsticks made from dark wood bleached white that may pose a health risk, causing coughing or leading to asthma.[37]
A 2006 Hong Kong Department of Health survey found that the proportion of people using serving chopsticks, spoons or other serving utensils has increased from 46% to 65% since the SARS outbreak in 2003.[38]
See also
References
- ^ http://www.cpamedia.com/food/lao_food/
- ^ Merriam-Webster Online. "Definition of chopstick". http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/chopstick.
- ^ Norman, Jerry (1988) Chinese, Cambridge University Press, p267.
- ^ Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition 1989
- ^ Wilkinson, Endymion (2000). Chinese history: A manual. Cambridge: Harvard University. p. 647. ISBN 978-0-674-00249-4. http://books.google.com/books?id=ERnrQq0bsPYC.
- ^ Aero, Rita (1980) Things Chinese, pages 48-49
- ^ http://research.calacademy.org/redirect?url=http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/anthropology/utensil/chpstck.htm
- ^ Norman, Jerry (1988) Chinese, Cambridge University Press, p76.
- ^ "otemoto". En.allexperts.com. 2002-12-08. http://en.allexperts.com/q/Japanese-Language-1797/otemoto.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-14.
- ^ 卢茂村 (Lu, Maocun). "筷子古今谈 (An Introduction to Chopsticks)," 农业考古 (Agricultural Archaeology), 2004, No. 1:209-216. ISSN 1006-2335.
- ^ "Le due leggende sulle bacchette cinesi". Italian.cri.cn. 2008-06-19. http://italian.cri.cn/441/2008/06/19/43@104984.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-14.
- ^ Needham, Joseph. (2000). Science and Civilization in China: Volume 6, Biology and Biological Technology, Part 5, Fermentations and Food Science. Cambridge University Press. p. 104. footnote 161.
- ^ Endymion Wilkinson, Chinese History: A Manual (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, Rev. and enl., 2000), 647 citing Yun Liu, Renxiang Wang, Qin Mu, 木芹. 刘云. 王仁湘 刘云 Zhongguo Zhu Wen Hua Da Guan 中国箸文化大观 (Beijing: Kexue chubanshe, 1996).
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- ^ Giblin, James Cross (1987). From hand to mouth: How we invented knives, forks, spoons, and chopsticks, & the manners to go with them. New York: Crowell. p. 35. ISBN 978-0-690-04660-1.
- ^ Shimbo, Hiroko (2000). The Japanese Kitchen. Boston, MA: Harvard Common Press. p. 15. ISBN 1-55832-177-2.
- ^ See Aero, page 48
- ^ Access Asia: Primary Speaking and Learning Units. Carlton, Vic.: Curriculum Corporation. 1996. p. 80. ISBN 978-1-86366-345-8. http://books.google.com/books?id=0WfFGiGgnvQC&source=gbs_navlinks_s.
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- ^ Rowthorn, Chris (2007). Japan (10th ed.). Lonely Planet. p. 73. ISBN 978-1-74104-667-0. http://books.google.com/books?id=Gthp7ZCcYPwC.
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External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Chopsticks |
- Chopsticks Do's and Dont's I Heart Japan: Learn by Pictures
- Japanese etiquette for chopsticks
- Japanese chop stick faux pas
- A gallery of chopstick images
- Bring Your Own Chopsticks Movement Gains Traction in Asia, article examining the link between chopsticks and deforestation
- How to use Chopsticks?
- Article about chopsticks from MrsLinsKitchen.com, March 2001
- Chinese Chopstick Etiquette
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Translations:
Top
Chopstick
Dansk (Danish)
n. - spisepinde
Français (French)
n. - baguette chinoise
Deutsch (German)
n. - Eßstäbchen
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - κινέζικο ξυλάκι φαγητού
Português (Portuguese)
n. - pauzinhos (m pl) usados pelos chineses para comer
Русский (Russian)
китайская палочка для еды
Español (Spanish)
n. - palillos para comer
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - kinesisk matpinne
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
筷子
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 筷子
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) أداة أكل صينيه
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - מקל אכילה, מקל סיני
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