Life Skills, Part Four: Can you use chop sticks?

[Oliveloaf]

Well?

[Oliveloaf]

Not well, but passably. My kid's a whiz.

[Zuul]

I can! My seven year old niece is deeply jealous of this ability and will actually cry over the fact that she isn't any good with them.

[Oliveloaf]

[Oliveloaf]

[Sarahfeena]

NO! Can't get the hang of it, and it's rather embarrassing.

[Glazer]

After living in Korea for a year. And having been married to a Korean I can use them like I was born with a pair in my hands.

[Orual]

I can manage, but I'm not excessively dextrous with them.

[What Exit?]

I've been adept at using them since 6th grade and have taught many others how to use them. Especially when I was in the Navy. We visited Singapore, went to a nice place to eat and they had only chopsticks and spoons so I gave three of my friends a crash lesson on chopstick use working with peanuts.

[Peeta Mellark]

I was one of those Japanophile geeks for a brief period, so yes.

[Ramses]

I'm from San Francisco. I learned. Not learning was a point of mockery.

[Oliveloaf]

I can manage, but I'm not excessively dextrous with them.

Exactly.

[Sarahfeena]

I'm from San Francisco. I learned. Not learning was a point of mockery.

My sister-in-law is Chinese, and I fear the day she ever sees me try to use them. She's too nice to mock, but no doubt she will think I'm incredibly lame!

[Trojan Man]

I can use them with either hand, due to injuring my primary chopstick-using hand as a child (breaking a bone in the hand and wearing a cast).

[Hatshepsut]

I think they missed an apostrophe. In my experience, these sorts of things are supposed to say:

"Please try your Nice Chinese Food With Chopstick's"

Yes, I can use chopsticks and prefer them when eating Chinese food.

[Orual]

I have to say, I prefer bamboo chopsticks to other varieties. Plastic ones are too slippery.

[Campionaki]

I've never bothered to learn how, so I can't use them.

[jali]

I use chopsticks when eating sushi. I use a fork generally when eating Chinese food, but I think I'd be able to handle a chopstick if I need to.

[OneCentStamp]

I'm half Asian, born in Asia, and grew up eating a pretty even split of Vietnamese and American food. I grew up eating with chopsticks and can use them almost as easily as a fork and knife.

However, I think they're generally a less dexterous, less handy, and less neat way to eat than Western eating implements, even for Asian foods. Therefore, I prefer to eat with a fork and knife these days, whether the dish in question is ribeye steak or lemongrass chicken. [/cultural imperialist]

[Claptree]

Use? yes. To eat? Barely. I can use them to grab knife and fork.

[Oliveloaf]

Why is it we feel compelled to use chop sticks when eating Asian food? I am glad I have gotten passably good at it.

Bonus question: Is it really obnoxious to ask for salt and pepper at a Chinese restaurant? I am not a huge fan of soy sauce.

[Zweedo Rodriguez]

Yes, but not very well.

[Marsilia]

I'll admit I just learned how a few months ago. I was eating with a guy from school, and he explained it more simply than anybody has ever explained it to me. I was bordering on giddy.

[OneCentStamp]

Why is it we feel compelled to use chop sticks when eating Asian food?

I don't know, but it's lame, and it's impractical: the cultures that eat with chopsticks also tend to be cultures where it's normal to stick your bowl into your face (or vice versa) and shovel the food in from two inches away. Eating rice with chopsticks while sitting upright, a foot and a half away from your bowl like a Westerner, is awkward, slow, and messy.

[Oliveloaf]

Whoa. That's true. It really is the worst of both worlds.

[Elendil's Heir]

I can, but I'm not terribly skilled. I don't use them often enough to have become good at it.

[OneCentStamp]

I'll admit I just learned how a few months ago. I was eating with a guy from school, and he explained it more simply than anybody has ever explained it to me. I was bordering on giddy.

After he explained it, I hope he said, "Now you can pick up anything!"