What shouldn't you do when using chopsticks?

Answer 1

Chopsticks and chopstick etiquette differ from one country and culture to another. It's considered polite to hold them right-handed, and Koreans do not use them (in polite company) to shovel the last bits of food into the mouth. Most cultures don't use them to stab bits of food. Some cultures consider it unlucky to allow food to drop from the sticks once picked up and prefer to leave the dropped morsel uneaten. I'd not take this too seriously; if people are staring to see whether you eat anything you've dropped you might not be in overly polite company. Obviously, if you drop a chopstick on the floor, you wait for it to be replaced, as you would if you dropped a napkin or or a piece of Western cutlery. Generally, you could equate chopstick etiquette with Western etiquette, observing your more experienced dining companions and taking the lead from them. If you wouldn't wave your cutlery in the air while talking, or use a fork to drag a communal bowl towards you, don't do it with chopsticks. It's advisable to teach Western children to become proficient with chopsticks, their etiquette and general use before letting them loose in public with a pair. It is inadvisable to draw attention to any Westerners dining in public who choose to ask for Western cutlery. Some people find difficulty manipulating chopsticks, especially those with problems such as Arthritis, or other causes of reduced dexterity. Any good Asian restaurant, or polite household, would no more dream of treating with disrespect or disdain a person who politely requests more familiar utensils than any well-bred Westerner would consider attempting to force an Asian guest to use a knife, fork and spoon. I once watched a senior partner in a law firm utterly humiliate a young secretary at a work function because she hesitated with the chopsticks. "I've spent all day clicking a mouse," one of the diners said, "so I think I'll go with the cutlery, too." and he signalled the waiter. The look the waiter bestowed upon the senior partner said it all, especially when that oaf muttered, "Wimps," at his colleague and the girl. Strike a balance between your own and other diners' comfort and the observance of good manners, regardless of whether you prefer to eat with wooden sticks or with metal.