How to Properly Use Chopsticks

Holding a pair of chopsticks can often be difficult and hard to learn. With the right lessons and guidelines, you can learn how to eat your Japanese cuisine with the proper techniques. Take yourself one step farther into Japanese Culture and read below to learn how about chopsticks. 

The Art of Holding Chopsticks 

There are many different ways you can hold chopsticks, that will all still be correct. Chopsticks can be used for cutting, gathering, picking up noodles, pinching food, like sushi, and to remove bones! These helpful tools come with their own rules of etiquette as well. But first, here’s how to hold chopsticks: 

1. Hold the chopstick with your thumb, pointer finger, and middle finger. 
2. Then, only move the top chopstick. Position the chopstick that you can’t move in the crook of your thumb and on top of your ring finger. 
3. Next, hold the chopstick you can move like a pencil for the easiest motion. 
4. Don’t move the bottom chopstick and use your index and middle finger to grip the top chopstick up and down in a lever-like motion. 

Chopstick Etiquette

Just like in the United States, there is an etiquette that comes along with dining. For the Japanese culture, there is a chopstick etiquette that they tend to follow as a sign of respect and maturity. Many newcomers to chopsticks or foreigners to japan usually don’t realize there are so many rules. Here a few listed below: 

1. Don’t stick your chopsticks into food, like rice. This is a ritual used in Japanese culture when someone dies. 
2. Don’t pass food with chopsticks. 
3. Don’t hold the chopsticks together like your holding a knife. 
4. Don’t look around at your food and try to eat without thinking. 
5. Don’t stab food with chopsticks.
6. No licking tips of chopsticks.
7. Only use your free hand to grab a dish, not the hand with the chopsticks in them. 
8. Avoid dripping on your chopsticks by eating over the bowl 

Test out your new chopstick skills and etiquette at Chiba Japanese Restaurant. Chiba Japanese Restaurant offers delicious dining and takeout to Darien, IL. Chiba Japanese Restaurant is a cornerstone in the Darien community and has been recognized for its outstanding Sushi cuisine, excellent service, and friendly staff. Our Sushi restaurant is known for its modern interpretation of classic dishes and its insistence on only using high quality fresh ingredients. For more information or to order online, visit our website at www.chibachicago.com. 

Sources: 

https://delishably.com/world-cuisine/The-Chopstick-Etiquette-in-Japan-Guide

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