4 ms·

Any effort to evangelize chopsticks to the west is a welcome one. "chopstick shaming" should be avoided. There are so many useful applications including cookin

Any effort to evangelize chopsticks to the west is a welcome one. "chopstick shaming" should be avoided. There are so many useful applications including cooking, preparing, serving food. Chopsticks are effectively sanitary fingers (when used politely). Years ago i used chopsticks to eat snacks at work, in order to keep my keyboard clean. People ridiculed me in a friendly way. They've since come around. Since covid people have become more conscious of sanitation and to a lesser degree table etiquette and i'm glad to see chopsticks supporting both of those trends.

blacksmith_tb 4y ago
I agree, and I find them useful for even non-food tasks like fishing small things out of jars, but they aren't really 'sanitary fingers' if you're in the middle of eating with them, are they? They must have at least a little saliva on them, unless you make a point of only dropping things into your open mouth?
- pengaru 4y ago
  They're more finger extending isolators than sanitary fingers.
- Filligree 4y ago
  Your own saliva. The point is you’re not ferrying bacteria from the meeting rooms to your mouth.
- yongjik 4y ago
  As a Korean, I can confirm that chopsticks serve as a great germ distributor. Their ends go into your mouth and then end up poking everything else on the table. :)
- ackfoobar 4y ago
  Some restaurants provide two sets of chopsticks of different colours for this reason. Use one to pick up the food, use another to eat with.
  - blacksmith_tb 4y ago
    Makes sense, similar to a serving spoon (though not so handy for moving sauce around, which could be a plus or minus).
- tonymet 4y ago
  Yeah i mean using clean chopsticks, and since they are plentiful, you can have one set out per dish / jar to serve – plus personal sets for guests
gretch 4y ago
Also, they are very easy to wash and keep clean because they are 2 straight sticks. There's no nooks and crannies like between the tines of a fork. One of the main reason I like mine
- tonymet 4y ago
  well said!
- wink 4y ago
  I do have a pair or two with grooves at the pointy end, but I wouldn't say for sure that it helps with the grip. They're lacquered wooden ones I brought from a SE asia trip, but not sure how common they are.
dekhn 4y ago
For cooking, I just think of chopsticks as spring-loaded tongs (a standard food service tool) but without the spring or hinge (which is implemented by your hand). The are great for delicate work although I prefer tongs due to their scalloped edges.
- mastax 4y ago
  Yeah. You can get very large cooking tweezers which can perform the same job, but easier for those of us who haven't been using chopsticks all our lives. (I can use chopsticks okay but I can't just pick them up and immediately grab stuff, I need to adjust my hand position usually. Tweezers it's just grab and go.)
  - yamtaddle 4y ago
    > (I can use chopsticks okay but I can't just pick them up and immediately grab stuff, I need to adjust my hand position usually. Tweezers it's just grab and go.) I use them rarely enough that I have to re-learn it each time. By the end of my dish I'm usually, finally, approaching the level of skill with them that I suppose a normal Chinese 2-year-old has. And I can only do that much because at one point, years back, I spent some time deliberately practicing with them.
  - OJFord 4y ago
    Do you mean like barbecue sausage flipping tongs, or actual tweezers like you might find in a chef's arm pocket? Just curious because I'd never have thought to use the former like I've seen chopsticks used in films, and the latter I'm surprised to hear anyone would use at home - seems like such a Michelin star-chasing presentational tool! (And don't get me wrong, I love cooking, probably put more thought into presentation even just for myself than the vast majority.)
    - mastax 4y ago
      They usually are Michelin star presentation tools. But "Alex French Guy Cooking" on YouTube showed them being really useful for a lot of things, basically how some people use chopsticks. I really like them. They're like tongs but more dextrous.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
samus 4y ago
A work colleague told me of a camping trip where they forgot to bring cutlery. They made do with a knife and their fingers. I suggested to next time look for some branches and turn them into chopsticks. I'm pretty sure this is the way chopsticks actually came about.
droopyEyelids 4y ago
Whisking eggs with chopsticks works SO much better than using a fork, and the cleanup is a million times easier than using a whisk. Additionally, you can use the chopsticks in the pan while you're cooking, saving another tool that would need cleaning
- yamtaddle 4y ago
  My technique for whisking eggs follows Jacques Pepin's and proper form (and speed) means you're forming a large hollow under the fork on each upstroke, driving a lot of air into the eggs. Can you achieve that with chopsticks, or is it just not needed with them? > Additionally, you can use the chopsticks in the pan while you're cooking, saving another tool that would need cleaning This part definitely seems great, though.
  - fsckboy 3y ago
    there's a youtube video from America's Test Kitchen (aka Cook's Illustrated aka Best Recipe Cookbook) which says that what accomplishes the best whisking is a straight 180 degree back and forth reciprocation motion, because it imparts the greatest sheer forces to the stuff you're whisking. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WcvoVHgKos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WcvoVHgKos
  - OJFord 4y ago
    Not GP, but I would imagine you use both together like a narrow (flat) spoon, or a thick single-pronged fork; so I don't see why not. You only miss out on the gaps between prongs, but albumen's too viscous for them to have any effect anyway. I either use a small whisk or a fork, but I don't consider the latter special in any way it's just something that's convenient in our kitchens, as chopsticks are in others'.
- tonymet 4y ago
  brilliant! two sticks – so easy to clean
orhmeh09 4y ago
> Years ago i used chopsticks to eat snacks at work, in order to keep my keyboard clean. People ridiculed me in a friendly way. They've since come around. This is the thinking gourmand's way to avoid greasy/orange fingers from eating chips.
secondcoming 4y ago
Really? A fork and a spoon is far more superior. It shocks me that chopsticks are still used and that people like using them. They're definitely not for me.
- fsckboy 3y ago
  with chopsticks what you place directly onto your tongue is food, rather than a metal implement that you drag back out, providing a superior food centric organoleptic experience. it's not about work product efficiency.
- ackfoobar 4y ago
  I don't mind you calling your way superior. I'm sure it is superior for you and the food you eat. But not elaborating adds nothing to the conversation. For me, chopsticks are superior in picking up crisps. No greasy fingers, as GP noted. You can't stab them with a fork; they're prone to falling off a spoon, whereas chopsticks can grip them from both sides.
- slowmovintarget 4y ago
  It's actually far easier to eat vegetables, especially sauteed vegetables, with chopsticks. Same for digging sardines out of a tin. Chopsticks beats fork or spoon. They're not for everything, but when you learn to use them, there are many foods (and many dishes in Asian cuisine where they have long thin pieces) that are simply easier with chopsticks if you have the skills. Knife and fork for steak, or whole pieces of chicken, or turkey dinner... Spoon for stew or soup. But noodles, or stir-fried vegetables? chopsticks.
  - theonething 4y ago
    For messy snacks that would get your fingers all dirty or oily (e.g. Cheetos), I'll actually use chopsticks to eat them. Don't have to wash your hands afterwards! I limit this to home because I don't carry chopsticks around with me and probably also because I'd get weird looks.
ufo 4y ago
As illustrated in this classic comic: http://wondermark.com/601/ http://wondermark.com/601/
- tonymet 4y ago
  and I was sure i was the inventor. great idea!
RajT88 4y ago
Absolutely. My wife and I both use chopsticks a lot. Both of us came to them via interest in Japan in college. FWIW, I apparently use the "double tripod" grip, standard always felt less precise for me, although "double tripod" cramps my hand after a while.
robofanatic 4y ago
> sanitary fingers (when used politely) Nothing against chopsticks, but I politely disagree with the sanitation part. Eating your own food with bare hands is not unhealthy.
- saratogacx 4y ago
  I think it is more the other way around. They're keeping your hands sanitary, from the food, for other uses. Using chopsticks while eating keeps the food from getting all over your hands (cheeto fingers).
  - robofanatic 4y ago
    ok, that makes sense, especially if you are multi-tasking
- tonymet 4y ago
  it's more about pivoting between work and eating . like using a keyboard while eating cheetos. Also they interrupt the habit of licking fingers.
- sfmike 4y ago
  try using your fingers instead of chopsticks to eat cheetos and keep your keyboard clean
  - robofanatic 4y ago
    I get the point but in reality I would rather avoid eating cheetos while typing.
mikrl 4y ago
>Years ago i used chopsticks to eat snacks My partner ate cheetos with chopsticks while streaming, and it was initially quite a shock to behold until she explained her genius.

blacksmith_tb 4y ago

I agree, and I find them useful for even non-food tasks like fishing small things out of jars, but they aren't really 'sanitary fingers' if you're in the middle of eating with them, are they? They must have at least a little saliva on them, unless you make a point of only dropping things into your open mouth?

pengaru 4y ago
They're more finger extending isolators than sanitary fingers.
Filligree 4y ago
Your own saliva. The point is you’re not ferrying bacteria from the meeting rooms to your mouth.
yongjik 4y ago
As a Korean, I can confirm that chopsticks serve as a great germ distributor. Their ends go into your mouth and then end up poking everything else on the table. :)
ackfoobar 4y ago
Some restaurants provide two sets of chopsticks of different colours for this reason. Use one to pick up the food, use another to eat with.
- blacksmith_tb 4y ago
  Makes sense, similar to a serving spoon (though not so handy for moving sauce around, which could be a plus or minus).
tonymet 4y ago
Yeah i mean using clean chopsticks, and since they are plentiful, you can have one set out per dish / jar to serve – plus personal sets for guests

gretch 4y ago

Also, they are very easy to wash and keep clean because they are 2 straight sticks. There's no nooks and crannies like between the tines of a fork. One of the main reason I like mine

tonymet 4y ago
well said!
wink 4y ago
I do have a pair or two with grooves at the pointy end, but I wouldn't say for sure that it helps with the grip. They're lacquered wooden ones I brought from a SE asia trip, but not sure how common they are.

dekhn 4y ago

For cooking, I just think of chopsticks as spring-loaded tongs (a standard food service tool) but without the spring or hinge (which is implemented by your hand). The are great for delicate work although I prefer tongs due to their scalloped edges.

mastax 4y ago
Yeah. You can get very large cooking tweezers which can perform the same job, but easier for those of us who haven't been using chopsticks all our lives. (I can use chopsticks okay but I can't just pick them up and immediately grab stuff, I need to adjust my hand position usually. Tweezers it's just grab and go.)
- yamtaddle 4y ago
  > (I can use chopsticks okay but I can't just pick them up and immediately grab stuff, I need to adjust my hand position usually. Tweezers it's just grab and go.) I use them rarely enough that I have to re-learn it each time. By the end of my dish I'm usually, finally, approaching the level of skill with them that I suppose a normal Chinese 2-year-old has. And I can only do that much because at one point, years back, I spent some time deliberately practicing with them.
- OJFord 4y ago
  Do you mean like barbecue sausage flipping tongs, or actual tweezers like you might find in a chef's arm pocket? Just curious because I'd never have thought to use the former like I've seen chopsticks used in films, and the latter I'm surprised to hear anyone would use at home - seems like such a Michelin star-chasing presentational tool! (And don't get me wrong, I love cooking, probably put more thought into presentation even just for myself than the vast majority.)
  - mastax 4y ago
    They usually are Michelin star presentation tools. But "Alex French Guy Cooking" on YouTube showed them being really useful for a lot of things, basically how some people use chopsticks. I really like them. They're like tongs but more dextrous.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

samus 4y ago

A work colleague told me of a camping trip where they forgot to bring cutlery. They made do with a knife and their fingers. I suggested to next time look for some branches and turn them into chopsticks. I'm pretty sure this is the way chopsticks actually came about.

droopyEyelids 4y ago

Whisking eggs with chopsticks works SO much better than using a fork, and the cleanup is a million times easier than using a whisk. Additionally, you can use the chopsticks in the pan while you're cooking, saving another tool that would need cleaning

yamtaddle 4y ago
My technique for whisking eggs follows Jacques Pepin's and proper form (and speed) means you're forming a large hollow under the fork on each upstroke, driving a lot of air into the eggs. Can you achieve that with chopsticks, or is it just not needed with them? > Additionally, you can use the chopsticks in the pan while you're cooking, saving another tool that would need cleaning This part definitely seems great, though.
- fsckboy 3y ago
  there's a youtube video from America's Test Kitchen (aka Cook's Illustrated aka Best Recipe Cookbook) which says that what accomplishes the best whisking is a straight 180 degree back and forth reciprocation motion, because it imparts the greatest sheer forces to the stuff you're whisking. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WcvoVHgKos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WcvoVHgKos
- OJFord 4y ago
  Not GP, but I would imagine you use both together like a narrow (flat) spoon, or a thick single-pronged fork; so I don't see why not. You only miss out on the gaps between prongs, but albumen's too viscous for them to have any effect anyway. I either use a small whisk or a fork, but I don't consider the latter special in any way it's just something that's convenient in our kitchens, as chopsticks are in others'.
tonymet 4y ago
brilliant! two sticks – so easy to clean

orhmeh09 4y ago

> Years ago i used chopsticks to eat snacks at work, in order to keep my keyboard clean. People ridiculed me in a friendly way. They've since come around. This is the thinking gourmand's way to avoid greasy/orange fingers from eating chips.

secondcoming 4y ago

Really? A fork and a spoon is far more superior. It shocks me that chopsticks are still used and that people like using them. They're definitely not for me.

fsckboy 3y ago
with chopsticks what you place directly onto your tongue is food, rather than a metal implement that you drag back out, providing a superior food centric organoleptic experience. it's not about work product efficiency.
ackfoobar 4y ago
I don't mind you calling your way superior. I'm sure it is superior for you and the food you eat. But not elaborating adds nothing to the conversation. For me, chopsticks are superior in picking up crisps. No greasy fingers, as GP noted. You can't stab them with a fork; they're prone to falling off a spoon, whereas chopsticks can grip them from both sides.
slowmovintarget 4y ago
It's actually far easier to eat vegetables, especially sauteed vegetables, with chopsticks. Same for digging sardines out of a tin. Chopsticks beats fork or spoon. They're not for everything, but when you learn to use them, there are many foods (and many dishes in Asian cuisine where they have long thin pieces) that are simply easier with chopsticks if you have the skills. Knife and fork for steak, or whole pieces of chicken, or turkey dinner... Spoon for stew or soup. But noodles, or stir-fried vegetables? chopsticks.
- theonething 4y ago
  For messy snacks that would get your fingers all dirty or oily (e.g. Cheetos), I'll actually use chopsticks to eat them. Don't have to wash your hands afterwards! I limit this to home because I don't carry chopsticks around with me and probably also because I'd get weird looks.

ufo 4y ago

As illustrated in this classic comic: http://wondermark.com/601/ http://wondermark.com/601/

tonymet 4y ago
and I was sure i was the inventor. great idea!

RajT88 4y ago

Absolutely. My wife and I both use chopsticks a lot. Both of us came to them via interest in Japan in college. FWIW, I apparently use the "double tripod" grip, standard always felt less precise for me, although "double tripod" cramps my hand after a while.

robofanatic 4y ago

> sanitary fingers (when used politely) Nothing against chopsticks, but I politely disagree with the sanitation part. Eating your own food with bare hands is not unhealthy.

saratogacx 4y ago
I think it is more the other way around. They're keeping your hands sanitary, from the food, for other uses. Using chopsticks while eating keeps the food from getting all over your hands (cheeto fingers).
- robofanatic 4y ago
  ok, that makes sense, especially if you are multi-tasking
tonymet 4y ago
it's more about pivoting between work and eating . like using a keyboard while eating cheetos. Also they interrupt the habit of licking fingers.
sfmike 4y ago
try using your fingers instead of chopsticks to eat cheetos and keep your keyboard clean
- robofanatic 4y ago
  I get the point but in reality I would rather avoid eating cheetos while typing.

mikrl 4y ago

>Years ago i used chopsticks to eat snacks My partner ate cheetos with chopsticks while streaming, and it was initially quite a shock to behold until she explained her genius.