Chopsticks

The Chopsticks has become a common utensil within Asian Culture and within restaurants across the world. The Chopsticks can be used to eat an entire meal, or only portions of a meal. Most restaurants across the world that use chopsticks also offer forks, knives and spoon, just in case your chopsticks skills are not up to par.

Although no one know for sire, chopsticks are thought to be more than 5,000 years old. Originating from China chopsticks began to spread to Korea, Japan and Vietnam by 500 A.D. Chopsticks were initially used as sticks to retrieve food that had been cooked in a pot or fire. Due to a shortage of fuel, food was sliced into smaller portions before being cooked, eliminating the need for knives. As a result, the Chopsticks became the utensil of choice. Theory has it that Confucius encouraged the use of chopsticks over knives, claiming knives were a type of weapon and had no business at a dining table.

Traditional Chinese chopsticks are 9 to 10 inches in length, while Japanese intended for males are 8 inches and for females are 7 inches.

Chopsticks are typically made from bamboo due to the fact that bamboo is easy to split, rather inexpensive to produce, and resistant to heat.