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Total entries in this category: 24
Published On: Mar 07, 2006 03:02 PM
Total entries in this category: 24
Published On: Mar 07, 2006 03:02 PM
Chopsticks
Who knew there were cultural variations to
chopstick technique?
The other night, the college vice president took
all the foreigners here out to dinner. Besides us, this included the 82-year old
Japanese teacher who’s been coming here for years, and two new Vietnamese
undergraduates. It was the usual banquet with countless dishes and bilingual
bonhomie.
In the middle of dinner, the vice president asked the Vietnamese students if Vietnamese people used chopsticks. They said yes, chopsticks were customary in their country. The vice president said he was surprised to hear that because they held their chopsticks badly. He held up his own to demonstrate the proper technique.
I immediately thought, “If he thinks the Vietnamese have bad chopstick technique, mine must be even worse!” I self consciously compared my own grip with his, and it appeared to be the same. I looked at the Vietnamese, and while their technique could surely not be considered “bad,” their hand position was definitely different; the middle finger was placed on top of the upper chopstick rather than between the two. Then I looked at the Japanese teacher’s hand. He too was using the non-Chinese technique.
Ever since that night, I’ve studied people’s methods and inquired. It seems that the non-Han minorities in China do not necessarily use the same technique, and in fact, one friend of ours who is half Yao, half Hui, does indeed use the middle finger on top method.
So, it seems that mastering chopsticks is not enough of an achievement for a westerner. I may pass in China, but in Vietnam and Japan, I’ll still be considered clumsy!
In the middle of dinner, the vice president asked the Vietnamese students if Vietnamese people used chopsticks. They said yes, chopsticks were customary in their country. The vice president said he was surprised to hear that because they held their chopsticks badly. He held up his own to demonstrate the proper technique.
I immediately thought, “If he thinks the Vietnamese have bad chopstick technique, mine must be even worse!” I self consciously compared my own grip with his, and it appeared to be the same. I looked at the Vietnamese, and while their technique could surely not be considered “bad,” their hand position was definitely different; the middle finger was placed on top of the upper chopstick rather than between the two. Then I looked at the Japanese teacher’s hand. He too was using the non-Chinese technique.
Ever since that night, I’ve studied people’s methods and inquired. It seems that the non-Han minorities in China do not necessarily use the same technique, and in fact, one friend of ours who is half Yao, half Hui, does indeed use the middle finger on top method.
So, it seems that mastering chopsticks is not enough of an achievement for a westerner. I may pass in China, but in Vietnam and Japan, I’ll still be considered clumsy!
Posted: Sat - September 13, 2003 at 02:33 AM