#25 May have a maritime exception, at least for the Chinese. While on water (e.g. on a boat), flipping the fish makes people think of the boat flipping, so sailors and fishermen and such typically to not flip the fish when they eat one. After finishing one side, they either poke through the bones or somehow lift the bones entirely off the remaining fish to eat the rest of the fish.

Good thing the list does not include catching flies with chopsticks. So Mr. Miyagi and the Karate Kid are safe.

Ax, agreed, I think that one might be regional...

Most of those I learned from my mother-in-law... except watashibashi, I am pretty sure everyone does that all the time!

Also, the only other ones I hadn't heard of were so shocking that I can't imagine anyone doing it, like seseribashi! (gasps and clutches handkerchief...)

P.S. thanks P*D, I hadn't heard of that tweeter before, now following. (I mean, he said he only posts extremely interesting things!)

I have seen many an Asian hold the bowl up to their face and use the sticks to shovel food in quickly ...

#4 Kakibashi

Are these people rude, classless, whatever, or is there variance among Asian cultures about what is rude vs. acceptable?


Also, in Japanese sushi bars that serve those break-em apart cheap waste-wood sticks I always rub the tips together to wear off the damn splinters. I was once told that this was a no-no. My response was a sheepish "oh," while my mind was saying, "uh, no, stuff it. I'll keep doing this as long as you keep setting out chop sticks that enjoy ripping my lips up, buddy."

quote:

Originally posted by Piano*Dad:
I have seen many an Asian hold the bowl up to their face and use the sticks to shovel food in quickly ...

#4 Kakibashi

Are these people rude, classless, whatever, or is there variance among Asian cultures about what is rude vs. acceptable?

I think actually it's a matter of degree. In Japanese dining etiquette, it's actually good manners to pick up your rice bowl. So you hold your rice bowl with your left hand and bring it closer to your face (this means you don't lean over or down) and with your right hand, you use the chopsticks to bring the food to your mouth.

This description might sound like kakibashi, but kakibashi is more... vigorous? And fast... and the bowl would be closer to your face and the chopsticks covering a shorter distance...

quote:

Also, in Japanese sushi bars that serve those break-em apart cheap waste-wood sticks I always rub the tips together to wear off the damn splinters. I was once told that this was a no-no. My response was a sheepish "oh," while my mind was saying, "uh, no, stuff it. I'll keep doing this as long as you keep setting out chop sticks that enjoy ripping my lips up, buddy."

So, there's a trick to breaking apart chopsticks, which I can't explain in words, but if there really are splinters on the part that you put in your mouth, you can take care of them, just be discrete.

The better disposable chopsticks are only attached at the top or halfway down, even better are the ones that aren't attached at all. So, if you are getting lots of splinters, yeah, they are probably the cheap kind!

I usually try to break them apart from as close to the base as possible so as to avoid having one stick a cm or so longer than the other due to a bad break. And the break often leaves splinters near my hands. I usually don't find real splinters at the top, but I do feel the wood being rough at the end if I don't polish the tip, and sometimes little bits of wood flake off the tip if I don't discreetly polish them a bit.

On the bowl shoveling, I have frequently seen bowls held to the mouth and the sticks used as shovels. I just thought it was normal and proper, but something I didn't want to do.

Those were interesting! I wonder if it’s different for Chinese? I’m guilty of a few...

I know that Japanese and Chinese chopsticks are physically different (length, shape, thickness) so some differences in etiquette would make sense...

I was in Guangzhou China (25 years ago) and a couple of my students took me to an average (not fancy) restaurant. They had bamboo chopsticks that were washed (maybe) and reused. My students/hosts each took two chopsticks, poured hot tea in a cup, then poured the tea over the chopsticks and onto the (plywood) floor.