Learn what not do when using chopsticksplus, what’s OK at the dinner table.
But don’t worry!
Don’t rub your chopsticks together to get rid of the splinters.
Getty Images / Eduard Lysenko
This is arguably the only cardinal sin of chopstick use no matter where you are.
Do hold your chopsticks higher up.
“You have less movement area, so it makes things harder to pick up,” she says.
“Further up, you have more range of motion to pick things up.
Don’t stick your chopsticks in the rice so they’re standing up.
), it’s also ghoulishly unsettling in some cultures, including Korean and Japanese.
Don’t put your chopsticks in the way of other people’s chopsticks.
“You don’t cross swords with someone else’s chopsticks,” Yoo says.
You don’t want to be clashing chopsticks.”
Do ask for helpor a forkif you need it.
Even regular chopstick users sometimes fumble with foods that are especially slippery or heavy.
Do realize that chopstick etiquette may be more relaxed among younger people.
Don’t pass food to someone else from chopsticks to chopsticks.
When you want to pass food, put it on that person’s plate or bowl.
Do use chopsticks for cooking as well as eating.
And they’re unparalleled for picking up a piece of food you’ve dropped.
“Chopsticks are probably the most useful instrument ever invented by people,” Andoh says.
And plastic chopsticks can sometimes melt when you’re working with hot foods.
(Chopsticks are great for removingtempuraand fritters from hot oil, for example.)
Don’t rest your chopsticks on the bowl pointing at other diners.
(Youarepointing your knives' edges inward toward the plate, right?)
Do buy chopsticks that work for you.
You might also want different sets of chopsticks for different uses.
“Whatever feels comfortable and you like the look of is what you should choose,” Andoh says.
Don’t assume that all Asian cultures use chopsticks.
This is blatantly racist.
Don’t put chopsticks in the dishwasher.
They’re going to get all jammed up in places you never thought possible.
Hand-washing chopsticks will save you a lot of time and agita.
Do relax and enjoy yourself.
So don’t let your anxiety about a new utensil ruin your evening.
“Americans are obsessed with making a challenge that doesn’t have to be,' Andoh says.
So what if you ask for a fork?
