After years of using her own style, our Japanese-born reporter finally does what her parents were trying to get her to do all along.
chopsticks
Both the children and the adults have gotten in on the fun while also sharing their future dreams (and lamentations).
At inexpensive Japanese restaurants, the chopstick container might be in front of another customer, which is a tension-filled dilemma for some.
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One of the things Japan is known for is good design. You’ll see it in electronics, cars, home appliances, and home furnishings. There is a simple elegance to Japanese products that makes you break out into a little smile when you use them.
Looking at a pair of chopsticks, it doesn’t seem like there are any changes that need to made. They might be a little tricky to get the hang of, but they are mostly just two finger-held poles. That’s where this brilliant innovation comes in, though.
When you want to put your chopsticks down, you need to put them down on a rest so that you don’t get anything dirty. But what if they designed a chopstick that doesn’t need a rest?
Sailor Moon’s 20th Anniversary year has been an absolute boon for fans of the series. We’ve seen everything from sanitary equipment to lingerie to tiny little miniature versions of the everyday items they use.
What we really can’t get enough of is the bevy of adorable merchandise from Premium Bandai. And now that they’ve added new Sailor Pluto and Chibiusa items to their Miracle Romance line and DX My Chopsticks Collection, we’re heading straight to the online register!
So you’ve mastered the use of chopsticks and can proudly turn down the offer of a fork when you go to your favorite Asian restaurant. Many upscale eateries will probably supply you with a hashioki or chopstick rest to set the eating-end of your utensils on when not in use. At more casual restaurants, though, you have no choice but to lay them across your plate or setting them on a napkin so as not to touch the table’s surface.
Or, if you’re feeling crafty and would like to try your hand at some origami, you can use the paper wrapper your chopsticks came in to create a cute and useful peacock chopstick rest!
Chopstick rests, called hashi-oki in Japanese, serve the simple task of keeping the tips of your chopsticks off the table and stopping them from rolling away. They’re not always used in Japanese homes, but you’ll often see them in nicer restaurants, and they also make unique, inexpensive souvenirs as you can find ones made from a number of different materials, and in an endless number of shapes and colors.
Some shapes might be a little TOO unique, however, as demonstrated by a Japanese Twitter user who innocently posted a photo of the cute, pink chopstick rests she found in Okinawa. She was quickly made aware of their unfortunate shape by a number of commentors, though. Or, maybe, she was made aware of how many people really have their minds in the gutter…
Ramen joints and other cheap restaurants in Japan often just leave a container of chopsticks out on the table for customers to grab a pair from. Classier dining establishments, however, set the table with a pair of chopsticks for each guest tucked inside of a paper chopstick sheath, called a hashibukuro in Japanese.
But what do you do once you’ve pulled your chopsticks out of the cover? You could leave the empty sheath lying on the table, or, seeing as how you’re sitting in a Japanese restaurant with a piece of paper, you could use it to make some cool origami art.
We’ve been seeing a lot of articles recently about how to use Japanese chopsticks correctly. For those of us who grew up using forks and knives, it may seem a bit silly to obsess over holding two sticks at the correct angles. If you plan on visiting, living in, or especially working in Japan at some point, though, it may be a good idea to get out a protractor and practice those angles to save yourself a lot of embarrassing moments with friends and coworkers later.
To help you out, we here at RocketNews24 have compiled seven facts about chopsticks to help you along in your quest for perfect Japanese table manners. Even if you’re a seasoned chopstick expert, you may learn a thing or two from our advanced-level tips.
For many of us born outside of Asia, eating with chopsticks is not a skill we’re taught from a young age, and is something many people may go their whole lives without mastering. In Japan, however, kids are started on chopsticks from as early as a year old, and whether or not a person holds their chopsticks correctly reflects on that person’s upbringing (because only a lazy, incompetent parent would allow their child to hold chopsticks like a heathen!).
Not to worry though–foreigners in Japan are given a lot of slack in the chopstick department, since it’s generally assumed that chopsticks are pretty much non-existent in the west. But even if you don’t know how to use chopsticks doesn’t mean you shouldn’t learn how, and if you can use them, it’s a good idea to make sure you’re doing it correctly. That’s where Chopstick Man comes in, with his tutorial on the proper way to hold your hold your chopsticks!
Ever sit down to eat a meal and wish you knew how many calories or salt were in your food? Ever cooked a piece of meat or fish only to later wonder whether it might have gone bad? Last week, Chinese Internet giant Baidu announced that it has been working on a pair of wi-fi-enabled high-tech chopsticks that will be able to detect the nutritional makeup of the food it touches as well as warning consumers of any safety issues such as contaminants or expired food.
Sitting down to a traditional Japanese meal is made even more special by those little sticks you’ll have to manipulate to get the food to your mouth. However, for fork-loving westerners, using chopsticks, or hashi as they’re called in Japanese, can be downright frustrating when all you want to do is sample the local cuisine, not wear it on your shirt. But while you’re skewering your tempura and twirling your udon (PS – don’t do that), be sure to take a few seconds to appreciate that little tool propping up your hashi. From simple to completely bizarre, there’s a chopstick rest to suit any style in Japan.
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