Find the best places to dine and endure the finest foods in China with China Tours and on your China travel. Travel anywhere in China with the knowlede that you dont’ have to be inspired by China to choose the best foods, the other day I was in a restaurant with friends called Swennessees. It was a week day and decided that we would eat something a little more Americanised than the traditional Chinese food. The American food served in China is also recognised in the western world as Burgers and Chips, Pizza and spaghetti dishes and of course because it’s China there were one or two noodle and rice dishes.
Anyhow despite this we decided to take the food away with us because we didn’t want to sit in the restaurant and eat food. The waitress kindly packed our food in take away boxes and we left the restaurant to go back to our digs. I noticed that when the waitress packed our take out the women gave us a folk and spoon to eat with. We don’t usually use fork and spoons in the UK we usually use what is known as cutlery.
In the Far East it is traditional to use a fork and spoon and will expect to find this type of gesture when in a restaurant in China. It is also common knowledge that when you go to China or Japan, Taiwan etc you will find that it is traditional to use Chop sticks. So let me use this article to explain the depths of chops sticks in China. Chop sticks originated from China and are a traditional eating utensil used distinctively to their culture. Not only are they used in China but also used in Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Burma and the Northern Provinces Laos and they have also been known to be used in Nepal and Tibet which are countries close the Han Chinese population.
Chinese chop sticks
Chinese chopsticks are either made from plastic, Bamboo and they are also made from various metal bones, ivory and various types of wood which can be painted and decorated to be made attractive. Chop sticks are usually matched together and made with a blunt tip to get a good grip. The idea behind chop sticks is to place the utensil behind your thumb and fingers and pick up pieces of food. Chop sticks derived from the English dictionary but in Mandarin speaking cities such as Beijing the word for chop sticks is Kuaizi. Kuaizi’s are held in the right hand if not left handed and they are designed to sweep food from the bowl to the mouth in small portions.
There are different ways to use chop sticks and if you compare them to Japan, Korea and Vietnam etiquette you will find that they represent different meanings. You will find how polite it is in China to have manners in using them correctly and not use them so that they reflect on use as being rude.
For example the Chinese etiquette it is not unusual to hold the rice bowl up to ones mouth and use the chop sticks to push the rice in to the mouth.
- It is believed that it is poor etiquette to tap the chop sticks on the edge of one’s bowl, as beggars are believed to make this noise to attract attention.
- It is impolite to spear food with a chop stick, unless it is difficult to handle.
- It is considered to be poor etiquette to point the chopsticks towards others who are seated around the table.
- Serving chop sticks are used to take food from serving dishes and are expected to be returned to the dish after one has served one self, and are often a different colour from the other chopsticks on the table.
- Note to oneself, Chinese chop sticks are not to 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.
- However, Chopsticks are definitely an art form to be accomplished because apparently if a Chinese person uses there chop sticks incorrectly at home with their parents it reflects badly on them, because they had the responsibility of teaching their children when they were younger to use them properly.
Generally chopsticks are not something you have to use whilst you’re in a restaurant in China it is entirely your option to do so. The Chinese will not be offended if you choose not to use chopsticks. There is the option to use a fork and spoon. Besides who said chopsticks are good for the environment.
Recently, there has been an environmental impact with the over usage of chopsticks where they are simply thrown away after usage. In China an estimated 46 billion chopsticks are thrown away each year. China had to impose a five percent tax increase on chopsticks to discourage excessive consumption and waste.
In Japan they have a name for reusable chopsticks. They are known as “my hashi” meaning in English terms “My Chopsticks”. There are a number of health issues related with using certain chopsticks in China especially using dark wood bleached white that may pose health risk, causing coughing or leading to asthma. Re – usable metal chopsticks have grown in popularity in recent years so there will never be a ban in chopsticks it’s just a choice in how you feel comfortable eating.
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