History of Chopsticks:
They're here, there everywhere in Asia. From the simple, disposable wooden
sticks provided with daily lunch boxes to valuable antiques and beautiful
engraved examples in jade and ivory.
Chopsticks first appeared in China some 5,000 years ago. Food was then cooked
slowly in a large communal pots. Impatient eaters would break twigs from
nearby trees to retrieve the food. By 400 BC, a large population and dwindling
resources saw food chopped into smaller pieces so it could be cooked more
rapidly to conserve valuable fuel. The pieces of food were small enough
to negate the need for knives at the diner table, and chopsticks became
staple utensils.
The
great Chinese philosopher Confucius, himself a vegetarian, advised his followers
not to use knives to eat lest they be reminded of the slaughterhouse. Around
the same time, a certain Chinese Emperor forbade the use of knives at the
dinner table in his palace because he feared an assassination attempt.
Chinese chopsticks, called kuai-zi ("quick little fellows")
are around nine to ten inches long, rectangular in shape and with blunt
ends. The English name is thought to be derived from a Chinese dialect word
chop, meaning "quick" By AD 500 their use had spread to present-day
Vietnam, Korea, and Japan. The earliest chopsticks looked like large tweezers
made from a single piece of bamboo joined at the top. The two pieces were
not separated until the 10th century.
Japanese
chopsticks differed from Chinese chopsticks in that they were rounded and
came to a point. They were also shorter: seven inches long for females and
eight inches for males. The Japanese tended to make their chopsticks from
a variety of woods. They were the first to lacquer these wooden chopsticks
in the 17th century, making them more durable. In 1878 the Japanese created
the first disposable wooden chopsticks (called wari-bashi).
Traditionally, chopsticks have been made from a variety of materials. Bamboo
has been the most popular; it is inexpensive, easy to split, resistant to
heat and has no perceptible odour or taste. Cedar, sandalwood, teak, pine
and bone were also used. The wealthy often had chopsticks made from jade,
gold, ivory and silver.
There are superstitions associated with chopsticks, too. If you find an
uneven pair at your table setting, it means you may miss your place, boat,
or train. Dropping chopsticks will inevitably bring bad luck. In a dim-sum
restaurant, a waiter will cross your chopsticks to show that your bill has
been settled, or you can do the same to show him that you have finished
and are ready to pay the bill.
The
great Chinese philosopher Confucius, himself a vegetarian, advised his followers
not to use knives to eat lest they be reminded of the slaughterhouse. Around
the same time, a certain Chinese Emperor forbade the use of knives at the
dinner table in his palace because he feared an assassination attempt.
Japanese
chopsticks differed from Chinese chopsticks in that they were rounded and
came to a point. They were also shorter: seven inches long for females and
eight inches for males. The Japanese tended to make their chopsticks from
a variety of woods. They were the first to lacquer these wooden chopsticks
in the 17th century, making them more durable. In 1878 the Japanese created
the first disposable wooden chopsticks (called wari-bashi).
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