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> hygenic, reusable, durable, looks nice Metal is probably a little more durable, but wooden chopsticks are plenty durable as well as hygienic and look great.
by zumu 4y ago
> hygenic, reusable, durable, looks nice
Metal is probably a little more durable, but wooden chopsticks are plenty durable as well as hygienic and look great. Wooden chopsticks are also easier to use and don't transfer heat.
Calling metal chopsticks more practical is highly dubious given everywhere uses wooden chopsticks and basically only Korea uses metal chopsticks. Moreover, even in Korea wooden and bamboo chopsticks are also used.
- epgui 4y agoBiochemist here: yes, wooden chopsticks are probably hygienic enough for all intents and purposes. However, metal chopsticks have a smoother, non-porous surface, and therefore will be inherently a less friendly environment for bacteria. Some metals further have antibacterial properties.
- seszett 4y agoActually, wood also has antibacterial properties which make it more hygienic than plastic for example. Probably not more than stainless steel though. edit I'm curious to know why I am being downvoted as I thought the antibacterial properties of wood vs. plastic for eg. cutting boards were a well known thing. Here is a paper about it: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31113021/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31113021/
- dismantlethesun 4y agoNo one in the thread was talking about plastic until you mentioned it.
- seszett 4y agoIt was just an example of a material that doesn't have antibacterial properties. My point was simply that wood also has antibacterial properties, like steel, and probably shouldn't be considered less hygienic.
- zumu 4y agoYou probably considered this, but most wooden chopsticks are also heavily lacquered or otherwise sealed. I would assume the porousness is dependent on said sealant.
- epgui 4y agoThat’s right! However this can wear off over time.