Why do people eat with chopsticks in East Asia? Why is it still customary in China and Japan to use chopsticks rather than spoons and forks.

This tradition has become widespread in Asian countries, east of Thailand, especially in China. In order to find out why the Chinese eat with chopsticks and not with spoons, you have to go back several thousand years.

Archaeologists found the first, very vague, mention of sticks in excavations, the history of which goes back about 5,000 years. More specifically, they are described in the Shin era, 3,000 years ago.

In those days, the Chinese, like the rest of mankind, ate with their hands, and chopsticks were first used for cooking. This happened at the suggestion of a discoverer unknown to history, who realized that it was much more convenient and safer to get the ingredients from the boiling broth for testing with chopsticks than with your hands.

• Do not miss:

At first, these were almost half a meter long bamboo sticks, which were later shortened to 25 cm and began to be used for food. They were made from different materials; archaeologists come across sticks made of bronze, silver, and ivory. However, the most popular and now remain wooden, and there are reasons for that.

Philosophical aspect

A huge contribution to the popularization of sticks was made by the thinker Confucius, respected by all Chinese, who lived in the 5th and 4th centuries BC. From his submission, the usual cutlery became part of the Zen philosophy of vegetarianism and a peaceful way of life.

Following Chinese philosophy, knife and fork, which later began to be used by other peoples, are symbols of violence, war and greed. Many inhabitants of the Celestial Empire still consider all sharp metal objects to be weapons. And weapons have no place next to food, which, after many centuries of poverty and hunger, is sacred to the country.

Nowadays

Modern Chinese, although to a lesser extent, continue to honor traditions. Many in everyday life began to use spoons, forks and knives that are more familiar to us, but on holidays, when the whole family gathers, they always eat with chopsticks. And they do this not only because of historical habit.

• Read also:

Pay attention to Chinese National dishes. You will not find baked turkey or huge juicy steaks among them. Basically, these are pieces of meat, mushrooms or vegetables finely chopped during cooking, and, of course, rice as a side dish. Such pieces are very convenient to eat with chopsticks, and the Chinese prefer not crumbly rice, but a little sticky, which, when used with a spoon, runs the risk of turning into porridge.

Do the Chinese also eat soups with chopsticks? Imagine yes. Traditional liquid dishes are served in tall bowls, from which they fish with chopsticks. large pieces and just drink the liquid. Spoons, if served, are wooden or porcelain. Many peoples of Asia are of the opinion that putting metal in your mouth is not entirely good for your teeth. It's hard to argue...

Would you say a spoon would be faster? Maybe. But for the Chinese, eating is a ritual that cannot be rushed. This is partly the reason for the slender figures of Asian women and the lack of a belly in men. As you know, the signal of satiety reaches the brain with a delay of 10-15 minutes. Can you imagine how many “extra” spoons and forks we manage to throw into ourselves during this time?

Thus, the reason why the Chinese eat with chopsticks is because of historical traditions and simply because it is convenient and healthy. This way of eating involves many vital points on the hand and stimulates the development of fine motor skills, which has a positive effect on intelligence. So the next time you come to Chinese restaurant, do not rush to ask for a fork. Learn the science of eating with chopsticks, it will help you a lot when traveling in Asia.

In order to find out why the Chinese eat with chopsticks and not with spoons, you have to go back several thousand years.
History of chopsticks
Archaeologists found the first, very vague, mention of sticks in excavations, the history of which goes back about 5,000 years. More specifically, they are described in the Shin era, 3,000 years ago.
In those days, the Chinese, like the rest of mankind, ate with their hands, and chopsticks were first used for cooking. This happened at the suggestion of a discoverer unknown to history, who realized that it was much more convenient and safer to get the ingredients from the boiling broth for testing with chopsticks than with your hands.
At first, these were almost half a meter long bamboo sticks, which were later shortened to 25 cm and began to be used for food. They were made from different materials; archaeologists come across sticks made of bronze, silver, and ivory. However, the most popular and now remain wooden, and there are reasons for that.

Philosophical aspect
A huge contribution to the popularization of sticks was made by the thinker Confucius, respected by all Chinese, who lived in the 5th and 4th centuries BC. With his filing, ordinary cutlery became part of the Zen philosophy, which professes vegetarianism and a peaceful way of life.
Following Chinese philosophy, the knife and fork, which later began to be used by other peoples, are symbols of violence, war and greed. Many inhabitants of the Celestial Empire still consider all sharp metal objects to be weapons. And weapons have no place next to food, which, after many centuries of poverty and hunger, is sacred to the country.
Nowadays
Modern Chinese, although to a lesser extent, continue to honor traditions. Many in everyday life began to use spoons, forks and knives that are more familiar to us, but on holidays, when the whole family gathers, they always eat with chopsticks. And they do this not only because of historical habit.
Pay attention to Chinese national dishes. You will not find baked turkey or huge juicy steaks among them. Basically, these are pieces of meat, mushrooms or vegetables finely chopped during cooking, and, of course, rice as a side dish. Such pieces are very convenient to eat with chopsticks, and the Chinese prefer not crumbly rice, but a little sticky, which, when used with a spoon, runs the risk of turning into porridge.
Do the Chinese also eat soups with chopsticks? Imagine yes. Traditional liquid dishes are served in tall bowls, from which large pieces are caught with chopsticks, and the liquid is simply drunk. Spoons, if served, are wooden or porcelain. Many peoples of Asia are of the opinion that putting metal in your mouth is not entirely good for your teeth. It's hard to argue...
Would you say a spoon would be faster? Maybe. But for the Chinese, eating is a ritual that cannot be rushed. This is partly the reason for the slender figures of Asian women and the lack of a belly in men. As you know, the signal of satiety reaches the brain with a delay of 10-15 minutes. Can you imagine how many “extra” spoons and forks we manage to throw into ourselves during this time?
Unusual gestures different peoples peace
Thus, the reason why the Chinese eat with chopsticks is because of historical traditions and simply because it is convenient and healthy. This way of eating involves many vital points on the hand and stimulates the development of fine motor skills, which has a positive effect on intelligence. So the next time you go to a Chinese restaurant, don't rush to ask for a fork. Learn the science of eating with chopsticks, it will help you a lot when traveling in Asia.

Khashi (Japanese) is a traditional cutlery that the Japanese, as well as the inhabitants of Vietnam, Korea and China, use instead of the forks and spoons we are used to. The traditional material for hashi is wood, but bone, metal and - in our time - plastic are also used.

According to archaeological excavations, the first chopsticks appeared in China about 3 thousand years ago, during the Shang era. In China, khasi are called kuaizi and according to legend, the legendary emperor Yu invented them when he wanted to get hot meat from a cauldron.

Such sticks were about 37-38 cm long and were later used as kitchen utensils, sticks, intended directly for eating, were shortened to 25 cm.

Kuyazi came to Japan in the 12th century, they were made of bamboo and eventually turned into works of art - they were decorated, varnished and even inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Such sticks are not ashamed to be presented as a gift!

What, in general, the ancient Japanese (and modern ones too) did, in particular, newlyweds often give hashi, wanting to be just as inseparable. It also happens that hashi is given an individual pair to each family member, making family gift sets.

As a material, the already mentioned bamboo, cypress, maple and plum are especially often used, and in cross section, hashi can be either round or square.

Sticks for the Japanese are not just a household item, many signs and legends are associated with them. For example, it is said that one of the inventors of hashi was Rikyo, the founder of the tea ceremony.

Once he went to the forest for branches and brushwood, and cleared a couple of branches because he wanted to enjoy the smell of fresh wood. You should also be aware that sticks are a personal item and it is not customary to give them to someone to “use” - there are disposable hashi for this.v

Children from an early age are taught to handle chopsticks, because the hashi trains the small muscles of the hands, which develop mental abilities. The First Sticks holiday is associated with this moment: when the baby turns one hundred days old, he is given the first time to try rice from his personal hashi.

Of course, babies are still too small to eat on their own further: little Japanese begin to eat with chopsticks soon after the first year of life and, according to scientists, are ahead of those of their peers who could not part with a spoon in development.

There is a special stand for chopsticks - hasioki, on which it is customary to place chopsticks with thin ends so that they look to the left. If there is no hasioka on the table, the chopsticks can be placed directly on the table or leaned against the cup with thin ends.

Putting chopsticks across the cup should not be - this is one of the differences between the Japanese table etiquette from Chinese, where such a gesture means that the eater is full and no longer wants more. More detailed rules The use of hashi can be found in the article "Some table manners in Japan".

In restaurants, as a rule, hashi (disposable, of course) is served in a special case - hashibukuro, which, if properly decorated, can also become a real work of art - to match the chopsticks themselves. Very often, disposable sticks should be broken before use, as they are not cut all the way through.

Some funny superstition is also associated with this ritual: if the sticks broke “uncleanly”, that is, one, say, did not break off in the middle (where it should), but “give” the common top to the second stick, then not the most pleasant events await the owner . Also, after separating the sticks, they should be rolled against each other so as not to get a splinter.

Hasi is also used in recruiting tests, such as chip and LCD manufacturers forcing potential employees to collect scattered beads with chopsticks. Hashi is also used in martial arts: if properly thrown, such a stick can easily pierce solid objects.

Such cutlery was very convenient and very interesting to get food. When the cook was preparing a dish, he caught pieces of food with these “tongs” and tasted them, thereby saving himself from burns.

The first sizes of sticks were 38 cm long, then the Chinese reduced them in size to 25 cm. After a while, other nations picked up the tradition of eating, these lists included the Japanese. They called them "Hashi"

But not only the Chinese and Japanese eat with chopsticks, but also the Vietnamese and Koreans. Everything seems to be clear and understandable, but what about liquid meals, because these peoples also feed on them. The whole secret is that soups and others from the liquid family are served in special bowls with a large height. The point is that solid food is caught first, and then the liquid is simply drunk.

An interesting fact is also that these peoples boldly assure others that even in the future they will not change the principles and characteristics of their diet. Beautifully designed and crafted, the sticks can be used as gifts for various celebrations.

It is believed that children preschool age Those who eat food with chopsticks develop mentally slightly, but faster than those who use the usual spoons and forks. Although this has not been scientifically proven.

You, and like us, have probably always wondered why in Asia everyone eats with chopsticks, and not with forks or spoons? Well, we have found the answer! But let's start from the beginning...

Chopsticks and their history

Historians believe that chopsticks in China began to use five thousand years ago. The most interesting thing is that at first they didn’t eat them, but only cooked food - with thin long twigs it was quite convenient to turn over and raise pieces of meat or fish while they were in special pots on fire.

As complete (and indispensable) cutlery Chinese chopsticks appear only closer to Our Era - in the 500s BC. The main reason, not surprisingly, is the rapid growth of the population. There was very little food, it had to be cut into very small pieces, which, in turn, are much easier to manage with the help of thin twigs. small pieces dishes did not need to be cut after cooking or in general, somehow specially modified before lunch or dinner. Chopsticks have proven to be the perfect tool for taking food off the plate and putting it into your mouth.. The second indisputable advantage chopsticks They are cheap, which means that everyone can use them.

Not with sticks alone

However, in China and Asia in general, knives were also quite common. At some point they just disappeared. Historians believe the reason is the teachings of Kung Tzu (the great Chinese sage, whom you know as Confucius). He believed that it was impossible to use a knife during a meal, they say, a cultured person takes a knife only for war, but in a house where there is peace and quiet, there should not be knives at all. It is worth noting that this "smells" of the truth. Firstly, the quote is clearly in the style of Confucius, and secondly, at one time he had a colossal influence on the whole society, including the imperial families. So, if he didn’t like the knives on the tables, he could force the entire multi-million dollar Ancient China to abandon them.

Distribution of "Chinese" chopsticks

Literally for a hundred years Chinese chopsticks spread throughout Asia, including the largest countries of that period - Japan, Vietnam and Korea. However, the Japanese acted as always - they took interesting idea and redesigned it completely for themselves. Sticks in Japan made only from babmuk, and used exclusively in ceremonial ceremonies.

When the Chinese Empire flourished, Food sticks became one of its symbols. So, the emperor and his family ate with silver chopsticks. This was not only a sign of a high position (the emperor was almost God), but also periodically saved the rulers of the empire from assassination attempts - silver reacts to most poisons, however, except for arsenic, cyanide and a few more, the most effective.

chopsticks today

Many Europeans do not know why even eat rice with chopsticks? It would seem that a spoon is more convenient. Actually, no. Rice in Asia is coarse-grained, which means that after cooking it easily sticks together into lumps, which, in turn, are more convenient to take with chopsticks.

It is also interesting how Chinese chopsticks entered the Asian technological sphere. For example, if a large company wants to hire a person to work with microcircuits or any other devices that require dexterity and precision, he must pass a special stick test, which will show how well his motor skills and hand coordination are developed.