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March 8, 2014 |
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Chopsticks, a pair of small even-length tapered sticks, are the traditional eating utensils of East Asia (China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, the four "chopstick countries") as well as Thailand, where they are now restricted to just soup and noodles since the introduction of Western world|Western utensils by King Rama V in the 19th century. Chopsticks are commonly made of wood, bamboo, metal, bone, ivory, and in modern times, plastic as well. It was believed that silver chopsticks were used in Chinese royal palace to detect poison in the royalty's meals. "Chopstick" is the pidgin-English and English language|English name for the tools. "Chop" is pidgin-English for "quick", the Mandarin word for chopsticks being ku?izi (筷子) or ku?i'er (筷兒), meaning "the bamboo-objects for eating quickly". However, originally in Classical Chinese and some dialect like Min Nan, they use the word 箸(Pinyinzh? ,Min Nandi8), possibly just a phonetic Chinese character|character that merely indicates that the object is made of bamboo. "箸" (zhu), having the same sound as "住 or 駐" (lit. "stop"), is a taboo on ships because it would imply to stop the voyage. Because of this, the Chinese began to refer chopsticks as "筷" (kuai), which has the same root and sound as "快" (kuai), meaning "fast," which is the speed one would want the ship to travel. In Japanese language|Japanese chopsticks are pronounced hashi and rendered as 箸. In Korea, neither of the Chinese words is used now at all, but jeotgarak (젓가락) is used instead<!--, which means "__"-->. The Vietnamese language uses the word đũa<!--, which means "__"-->. The Thai language uses the word "ตะเกียบ"<!-- can it be broken down / analysed / etc? -->. Held between the thumb and fingers of the right hand, they are used as tongs to take up portions of the food, which is brought to the table cut up into small and convenient pieces, or as means for sweeping the rice and small particles of food into the mouth from the bowl. Many rules of etiquette govern the proper conduct of the chopsticks. Chopsticks are traditionally held in the right hand only, even by the left-handed. (In Muslim nations, the left hand is used in the toilet, the right hand used for eating.) In modern times, biases against left-handed eating are becoming less severe, and so chopsticks might be held with either hand. Chopsticks are simple in design - merely two thin rods (top and bottom area smaller than one square centimeter, length varies), each with one end slightly smaller than the other. The smaller, round ends come in contact with the food. In practice, their use is an acquired skill that can take some mastery. In addition, East Asian food, which is usually made into small pieces more suitable for clawing than cutting or scraping, is generally geared to be eaten with chopsticks. For example, rice in East Asia is often prepared to be sticky, while rice prepared using Western World|Western methods tend to be "fluffy", and is particularly difficult to eat with chopsticks. There are several main styles of chopsticks:
There are also chopsticks used especially for cooking or for serving food, these are much longer. In Japan they are called saibashi (菜箸). Image:Use_of_chopsticks.jpg|600px|Diagrams on how to hold chopsticks #Put one chopstick between the palm and the base of the thumb, using the ring finger (the fourth finger) to support the lower part of the stick. With the thumb, squeeze the stick down while the ring finger pushes it up. The stick should be stationary and very stable. #Use the tips of the thumb, index and middle fingers to hold the other stick like an ink pen. Make sure the tips of the two sticks line up. #Pivot the upper stick up and down towards the stationary lower stick. With this motion one can pick up food of surprising size. #With enough practice, the two sticks function like a pair of pincers. Tip: For easier handling in the beginning, hold the sticks at the midpoint as a child would do. With proficiency, hold the sticks at the upper ends for a farther reach and a more mature look. If the tips fail to line up, it will be difficult to hold things. Hold the chopsticks upright with one of the tips lightly touching the table, and gently push the chopsticks down or gently loosen your grip for a moment to let both tips become equal in length. You can also adjust your grip or holding position this way. With practice, it is possible to perform step one and two simultaneously, on picking up the chopsticks with one hand, with a single fluid and seamless motion. Readjust your grip if necessary.
In general, chopsticks should be used for eating and no other purpose. Do not point or gesture with chopsticks, and do not bang them on an object to catch the attention of someone or use them like drumsticks.
<!--*Unlike with Japanese and Chinese cuisine, Koreans do not pick up their rice bowls while using their chopsticks. -->
Chopsticks were developed about 3000 to 5000 years ago in China (the exact date is unknown). Tools resembling chopsticks were unearthed in the archeological site Megiddo, Israel belonging to Scythian invaders of Canaan before and contemporary to Moses and Joshua. This discovery reveals the extent of trade between the Middle East and the Far East in early antiquity. http://www.tektonics.org/tekton_05_04_04.html Chopsticks were also common household items of civilized Uyghurs on the Mongolian Steppes during the 6-8th centuries. http://www.uglychinese.org/hun.htm commons|Chopsticks
Category:Utensils Category:Chinese cuisine Category:Japanese cuisine Category:Korean cuisine Category:Vietnamese cuisine es:Palillos fr:Baguettes is:Matarprj?nar ja:箸 ru:Палочки simple:Chopstick zh:筷子 This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Chopsticks".
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