Chopsticks History Use Care and Chop Stick Storage

History
Chopsticks are part of Asian culture and history dating back some 5000 years. It is believe that the use of chop sticks traces their roots to early times in Asia when the people would retrieve food from the fire using sticks or branches broken from trees. As the population grew and wood near the cities became scarce, people would cut food into smaller pieces to save fuel because these smaller portions cooked faster. Small precut portions of food are well suited to the use of chopsticks.
Today chopsticks have evolved into an important icon of the Asian culture and part of Asian history forever. Their popularity and use has spread from the Far East to the western world and today chopsticks are used around the world by many cultures.
With the development of Confucianism further the use of chopsticks as the primary Asian eating utensil. Confucius taught, The honorable and upright man keeps well away from both the slaughterhouse and the kitchen. And he allows no knives on his table. Confucius disdain for the presence of knives at the kitchen table, coupled with the popularity of his teachings contributed greatly to the expanding use of chopsticks among the population.
By the 5th century, chopsticks had spread from China to other countries; Korea, Vietnam and Japan. At first chopsticks in Japan were only used for religious ceremonies in Japan, but they quickly became the item of choice like in the rest of Asia.
Chopsticks gee in many different forms. Bamboo tends to be the most popular material to make them from. The supply of bamboo in Asia is great and cheap to harvest,, it is easy to split and resistant to heat. Other popular materials were wood, bone, and precious metals for the wealthy.
Chinese chopsticks were typically 9 to 10 inches long, rectangular in shape, with blunt ends. Japanese chopsticks originally looked like tweezers made from bamboo, with the two pieces bonded together at one end. By the 10th century they became two separate pieces. Today Japanese chopsticks are slightly shorter than their Chinese counterparts (7 to 8 inches long), are most tend to be round with a tapered point.
Using chopsticks, increases finger dexterity and can be useful in learning and improving skills such as Chinese character printing and brush painting. Many Asian superstitions revolve around chopsticks as well. For example, if you find an uneven pair at your table seating, it is believed that you will miss the next train, boat or plane you are trying to catch. Also, dropping your chopsticks is a sign of bad luck to gee.
Usage
Chopsticks are a great way to eat your food quickly and conveniently. Although they are a great way to eat your meals, to the uninitiated chopstick user, they may be a bit tricky to use at first. Think of the chopstick as a pair of prongs, the only difference being that there are two separate parts or sticks. One stick is held in stationary position and the other is moved.
Take one stick first and hold it in your right hand in the way you would normally hold a pencil. If the stick has a thick and a thin end, hold it so that the thick end is on top.
Keeping the fingers in this position, turn your hand inward until the stick is horizontal to the table and parallel to your body.
Relax your fingers slightly and slide the stick to the left until your thumb and forefinger are clamping the stick at about its mid-point. The thumb should not be bent or rigidly straight. All your fingers should be curved slightly inwards with the middle finger in contact with the underside of the stick and the nail of the middle finger protruding towards your body. The third (ring) finger should be in line with the middle finger but its nail should protrude beyond the middle finger towards your body.
Now, take the other stick with your left hand and let the thick end rest on the protruding part of the ring finger of your right hand. Slide the stick towards the right, touching the tip of the middle finger and passing under the thumb until the thick end rests at the base joint of your forefinger. This is the stationary position of this stick, and it should be roughly parallel to the first stick.
Alternately bend and extend your forefinger and middle finger, letting the first stick pivot at the thumb. The thin tip of the moving stick will touch that of the stationary stick when you bend the two fingers. Don't hold the sticks rigidly. Hardly any pressure or strength is needed to grasp things at the tip of the chopsticks.
The chopstick is multipurpose; it serves the Japanese as fork, knife and spoon. They eat soup with it they cut food into small morsels with it; and they use it to pick up food and carry it from the plate to the mouth. You can do it, too.
But what types of chopsticks are best to use today when eating food? Bamboo is the most popular to use for disposable one time use. Since bamboo is very porous it is not regemend that you keep them and reuse them. Ivory was very popular among those in the upper classes but with todays efforts to conserve the animals that produce ivory, it is no longer really a good choice. Metals have also been used but they can be a problem for the teeth if you are not careful. Plastic is always a good choice for simple plain and cheap chopsticks.
Of all the choices offered today hardwood chopsticks seem to be the best for overall use if you plan upon keeping them and using them many times. Hardwood chopsticks last a very long time and will not adsorb the foods placed on them, also very easy to clean for reuse. okay is a great source for quality hardwood chopsticks at very reasonable pricing. A simple search will return many different types from hardwood chopsticks in silk cases to hardwood chopsticks in presentation boxes. You will find a great selection here Hardwood Chopsticks
There are, a number of etiquette rules that should be followed when it gees to dining with chopsticks:
Do not stick your chopsticks into your food and leave them standing up. In Asian funerals, chopsticks are left standing in balls of rice that are placed on the altar of the deceased.
When your chopsticks are not in use, you should lay them down with their ends pointed to your left.
Do not pass your food from your chopsticks directly to another persons chopsticks. Once again, this is also a funeral custom, where the bones of the cremated are passed from one family member to the next in this manner.
Never cross your chopsticks except if you are at a Dim Sum restaurant. It is acceptable to cross your chopsticks on the table here because it indicates to your server that you have finished your meal and are ready to pay. Sometimes, your server will cross them for you, to indicate you have paid your bill already.
If you have already used your chopsticks for eating, and you want to move food from a shared plate to your own plate, turn them around and use the opposite end to get the food.
Do not lick your chopsticks.
Do not use your chopsticks to point at objects, whether it is food, the table, etc.
Do not wave your chopsticks through the air or play with them.
Do not use your chopsticks to push or pull bowls or plates around on the table.

Care and Storage
When it gees to the care and storage of chopsticks they need to be split into two groups disposable and reusable. Disposable chopsticks are just as the name says; to be used once and thrown away therefore no cleaning tips are needed. Disposable chopsticks are made from, soft woods, bamboo, and plastics. They should be stored in a dry place without great temperatures. Many times soft wood chopsticks gee attached at the upper end, you will need to pull them apart as chopsticks are used as two units.
Reusable chopsticks in my opinion are a much more interesting group. Chopsticks have been made in this group out of many great materials. Ivory, jade, gold, silver, stainless steel, hardwoods, resins, even bamboo all have been used to create great chopsticks. First thing one should know about chopsticks is dishwashers and chopsticks dont make for a good mix. The temperatures are two high and the chemicals used in dishwashing soap are to strong. Hand washing is the way to handle your fine chopsticks, a mild soap should be used if needed. Most of the time your chopsticks can just be rinsed and hand dried.
You never want to leave wood or bamboo chopsticks in water as they can absorb the water and begee damaged. Most hardwood chopsticks are coated in lacquer so they will not absorb the foods you use them with. These chopsticks should be store in their cases if they came with cases in a cool dry place away from anywhere with great changes in heat.
Chopsticks can be fun and easy to use with a little practice.If you have any further questions I will be happy to answer them, please contact me through my okay Store. Fishinglines Store