slo’s THURSDAY 8/8 poll - Chopsticks 🥢

[mumto3girls]

I’m okay, but prefer a fork. Asian food is very occasional for us.

 

[CynBeth]

I can muddle through, but I'm not all that good with chopsticks.

Same here.

 

[mjkacmom]

I’m very good, as are my kids. We probably eat Thai the most out of Asian takeout, although we do order Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese.

 

[BrianL]

I can use them pretty well, but whetehr or not I want to may depend on what I am eating. I actually prefer reusable, glazed chopsticks as opposed to the raw wooden ones.

 

[ronandannette]

I use them, like using them, and can get through a meal reasonably well. Usually near the end I'll grab a fork for the last bit of rice. We have a set we bought, so don't just rely on the cheap wooden break apart ones that come with takeout. I'm not great at it, but feel like I'm improving the more I use them.

Not sure what yours are made of, but I find the wooden or bamboo ones get a way better grip on things than slippery hard plastic.

I’m good with them; good enough to do an entire Asian meal without a fork. I can’t say it doesn’t get a little messy though and I’d never call myself a pro. When we were in Hawaii a while back I saw a really little Japanese kid (probably under 2) eating raw fish for breakfast with chopsticks, unaided. I was in awe.

 

[Micca]

I believe sushi is intended to be eaten with your fingers, even in Japan.

Yes, I've heard that too. I have eaten sushi with my fingers but I have a mild aversion to eating messy/sticky stuff with my hands.

 

[TippyThomas]

Yes, I've heard that too. I have eaten sushi with my fingers but I have a mild aversion to eating messy/sticky stuff with my hands.

I just stab the sushi with one chopstick and eat it that way.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I’m pretty hopeless with them, but DD has gotten to be quite good with them. Her boyfriend is Asian and they eat out at Asian restaurants a lot. He got a kick out of my being so impressed with her ability to use them, that they now usually shoot me a picture when they’re out of her with her food and chopsticks. It’s kind of sweet, though, that when she eats with his family, his mom will always give her a fork and tell her she doesn’t have to use chopsticks if she doesn’t want to. (DD actually likes her best of her boyfriends’ moms!)

 

[AppleDumpling]

I’ve gotten better at it over time, and am pretty good with manipulating the chopsticks. My issue sometimes is having large pieces of food that are too big to put in my mouth. My natural inclination is to want to cut the food up with a knife into smaller bite-sized pieces. I was taught as a child that taking multiple bites off a large chunk of food from a fork was bad manners, and so I’m reluctant to do the same with chopsticks.

Yes, I've heard that too. I have eaten sushi with my fingers but I have a mild aversion to eating messy/sticky stuff with my hands.

I just stab the sushi with one chopstick and eat it that way.

Yep, especially with sushi, I sometimes use the stab method, and sometimes use my fingers, but both feel awkward.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

I'm very good with a pair of chopsticks. I learned at a restaurant in Boston with a very patient friend, and practice makes perfect, I guess. There ain't a grain of rice that can get by me.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

I can eat with them and I'm not too bad, but I prefer not to use them if I have alternatives. DD17s graduation dinner back in May was the last time I tried. I think it was around the 50% mark in the meal where I got tired of it and shifted a fork.

 

[Dan Murphy]

How do you eat a steak with chopsticks? Just wondering.

 

[BrianL]

How do you eat a steak with chopsticks? Just wondering.

Typically the steak will come pre-sliced in an Asian style dish - something like this:

 

[NYCgrrl]

True story: DGD learned how to use chopsticks properly before Western eating utensils.
And that’s because the man always rushed to cut up her food .
This continued until we attended a family dinner and my Mom and elder sister noticed and I immediately threw him under the bus. As the man tried to “splain”, his buddy, BIL, shook his head and said “Man, I can’t help you.”

This anecdote has now entered the family’s “must be told to peals of laughter”
phase.

 

[Karalee402]

I'm decent with chop sticks if the food is big enough, and I think it's part of the fun of trying other foods/exploring other cultures. I'm hopeless when it comes to smaller pieces, but my daughter is incredible and loves using them! She loves them so much that her brother got her a couple of pretty, colorful sets for Christmas last year.

 

[cabanafrau]

How do you eat a steak with chopsticks? Just wondering.

From what I've seen Asians who regularly eat with chopsticks will use knife and fork with many western dishes, which I don't consider cultural appropriation. Following the train of logic that it's cultural appropriation to use chopsticks as a westerner leaves you at the destination of trying the food of other cultures period being appropriation. That's nonsense. Sharing of cuisine, music and other art among cultures is one of the greatest pleasures of humanity.

I'm not very proficient with chopsticks, which amuses my daughters to no end.

 

[Buzz Rules]

Just thinking of this makes me laugh - I am such a spaz when it comes to using chopsticks. I’ve tried so hard, but I’m all thumbs - I just can’t do it. I’m so impressed with those that can and I’m wondering today…..

Can you eat with chopsticks?
How good are you at using them?
(m.c.)



For Me…..As I mentioned above, I can’t do it I’ve tried and tried, but I just can’t. We eat Chinese food so little, that even if I learned, I wouldn’t get a lot of practice with using them. I’m not saying I won’t ever learn how to use them, I just don’t see it happening anytime in the near future.

View attachment 883996

 

[BayouQueen]

I'm a mess with chopsticks. The plan was to use them a lot at home before our trip to Japan so I'd be a real pro. That never really happened, and once we got there, a fork was always available so no big deal. Going forward..just sticking with what I know and not worrying about it.

 

[BrianL]

You are only a true master of chopsticks when you learn how to eat soup with them!

 

[Dan Murphy]

Typically the steak will come pre-sliced in an Asian style dish - something like this:

View attachment 884035

From what I've seen Asians who regularly eat with chopsticks will use knife and fork with many western dishes, which I don't consider cultural appropriation. Following the train of logic that it's cultural appropriation to use chopsticks as a westerner leaves you at the destination of trying the food of other cultures period being appropriation. That's nonsense. Sharing of cuisine, music and other art among cultures is one of the greatest pleasures of humanity.

I'm not very proficient with chopsticks, which amuses my daughters to no end.

Thank you both.