In your metaphor the equivalent would be that you see that the chopsticks have splinters and are cleaning it But everyone I met who does splinter cleanup does

In your metaphor the equivalent would be that you see that the chopsticks have splinters and are cleaning it But everyone I met who does splinter cleanup does it _every time_ even without a cursory inspection. So the metaphor is… maybe more apt that you are cleaning a plate despite not seeing whether it’s clean or not first