Have you ever wondered why eating with chopsticks is so popular? More and more people in the world are starting to use them, they are available in many restaurants, so I decided to choose a short video which contains interesting facts about eating chopsticks.
https://www.ted.com/talks/jennifer_8_lee_why_1_5_billion_people_eat_with_chopsticks
Questions to the video :
1. Did you know that so many people prefer eating chopsticks?
2. Do you prefer to eat using chopsticks or cutlery? Maybe you know other ways of eating?
3. Have you ever tried eating chopsticks? If so, has it taken you long to learn?
Comments
Yes, Asia is big so there should be around billion of people using it. I even thought it was closer to 2 billions insted of 1.5 but still nice statistic.
2. Do you prefer to eat using chopsticks or cutlery? Maybe you know other ways of eating?
Yes I know one eating style that I prefer for many foods as it's taste better. It's hands. I use cutlery of course even chopsticks from time to time mostly for sushi of course, but I also like to cook things I can just grab and eat like burrito or pancakes or at least throw it between two breads and eat then.
3. Have you ever tried eating chopsticks? If so, has it taken you long to learn?
Yes, I'm still learning how to use them properly as more often than not I have problem with grabing bigger bits with them.
Yes I saw. Although it can sometimes be surprising to European culture that such an amount uses chopsticks. I think this is due to the fact that a lot of people live in Asia, and there, as you know, most people use chopsticks.
2. Do you prefer to eat using chopsticks or cutlery? Maybe you know other ways of eating?
I definitely prefer to use classic cutlery than chopsticks. Even if I eat sushi... It's just a lot more agile for me. It is probably a matter of habit. Another way to eat? With bare hands ;)
3. Have you ever tried eating chopsticks? If so, has it taken you long to learn?
Yes, I used chopsticks with sushi and ramen. I have tried more than once and still does, but it is surprisingly difficult for me. I think I'm squeezing my hand too much. I hope there will come a day when I will be a master of eating with chopsticks, like a native Asian;)
@Piotr Marchewka - thank you for your comment. To be honest, I have never seen people who ate sushi with cutlery, people usually eat sushi with chopsticks.
Of course, I knew that eating with chopsticks is a part of Asian culture. And 1,5 billion people is the approximate number of Asian people, so this fact did not surprise me.
2. Do you prefer to eat using chopsticks or cutlery? Maybe you know other ways of eating?
I use cutlery in everyday life like I think the majority in Europe. I have heard that there are some cultures like Middle Eastern and Indian, where is a tradition to eat food with hands, it calls finger food.
We also use this method for fast food and some snacks.
3. Have you ever tried eating chopsticks? If so, has it taken you long to learn?
While eating sushi, rolls and china nuddle, I always use chopsticks. It is like the part of rules while eating Asian food for me. The first time I use training chopsticks with holder between them, which makes it easy to hold chopsticks right and not to drop them. And now I use classic chopsticks without any problems.
I've never thought about it, but I'm not really surprised, because when we take into consideration the Asia population and the culture exchange across the world, it is logic that eating with chopsticks could be practiced by a huge number of people these days.
2. Do you prefer to eat using chopsticks or cutlery? Maybe you know other ways of eating?
Definitely cutlery, my whole life I've been eating that way, and I don't think I will change it. One of the other ways which comes to my mind is using your hands, which is popular in places like pizzerias, fast-foods, etc.
3. Have you ever tried eating chopsticks? If so, has it taken you long to learn?
I've tried once, and I told myself that I would not try to do this again. It was horrible. For me eating must be a pleasure, and when you can't eat anything because food slips out of your chopsticks all the time, it is really unpleasant and stressful. But maybe some day I'll try to do it again, who knows? I guess only time will tell.
No, I didn't :)
2. Do you prefer to eat using chopsticks or cutlery? Maybe you know other ways of eating?
I prefer using cutlery during "European" meals and chopsticks when I consume dishes from the far east.
Kebab/wraps/burgers only with hands, no exceptions.
3. Have you ever tried eating chopsticks? If so, has it taken you long to learn?
Yep. I guess it didn't take me long to learn, but I had to be much younger because I don't remember it well. My parents are using chopsticks well so it wasn't that hard to understand the mechanism behind that :)
1. There are billions of people in the world, so there are certainly many people who know how to use chopsticks.
2. I prefer to eat with cutlery. I can't eat with chopsticks. I believe that the use of cutlery is a classic and elegant solution.
3. No, I've never used chopsticks. And I never learned to eat using chopsticks.
Yes, i knew that this is very popular around the world and mostly in assian countries.
2. Do you prefer to eat using chopsticks or cutlery? Maybe you know other ways of eating?
You can also eat with your fingers. ;)
Mostly i prefer to eat with cutlery because it is the most popular way in our country. Anyway i like to eat with chopsticks too if i have oportunity. I don't practice this so often and when i do sometimes i have a problem for example with rice but only with this. I think everyone who ate at least once sushi he tried to do it with chopsticks.
3. Have you ever tried eating chopsticks? If so, has it taken you long to learn?
As i mentioned before i tried and i like it. I have only problem with eating rice but if i will have few more oportunities to improve my skills it should be easy as well. I think it didn't take a long time for me. My friend told me how to hold it and in few minutes i could eat normally.
2. I don't think I will be original if I say that I prefer to eat with cutlery. More convenient, faster, and the hibit to eat with cutlery has always existed in my culture.
3.I have eaten a meal many times with chopsticks. Is it sushi in Poland or during a trip around Asia, where I even ate rice with chopsticks. It wasn't too hard for me, but for most of people it might take a while to learn.
@Przemysław Baka I prefer cutlery too. thank you for your opinion.
@FilipJatelnicki Yesss, I always eat kebab/wraps/burgers with hands too. Thank you for your reply :)
@Igor Goryszewski do you think that you will ever try to eat something with chopsticks? :)
@Przemysław Witek Yea, it is a difficult task/challenge to eat rice with chopsticks. Thank you for your opinion.
@Paweł Bluszcz s20080 Thank you for your opinion.
Frankly, I had suspicion that there are a lot of people in the world for whom using chopsticks is the natural way of eating, but I wasn't aware that there are so many as 1.5 billion.
2. Do you prefer to eat using chopsticks or cutlery? Maybe you know other ways of eating?
I enjoy using chopsticks because it's fun, however there are situations in which using cutlery is obviously better. For instance, Polish cuisine is not suited well for eating with chopsticks.
3. Have you ever tried eating chopsticks? If so, has it taken you long to learn?
Yes I have, multiple times, at first I recall that it was quite of a challenge for me to master this skill. After couple of tries I was able to eat with them quite effectively. Consuming rice with chopsticks still seems as a black magic to me.
I think it's not that suprising, since we know that there are a lot of chinese people and other asian nationalities that tend to eat this way.
2.
I think it depends on the cusine, when eating a dish from an asian cusine e.g. sushi, pad thai, ramen or Peking duck it's better to eat it with chopskics, european or american cusine is better enjoyed with cutlery.
3.
Yes, first time when I was in high school. I think it's quite easy to learn and also it forces you to eat slower which is a more healthy way to consume foods.
I used to use them only when eating Asian cuisine, but now I use it almost every day at home, as they are so universal. It's more convenient to use chopsticks for eating and cooking because you can easily mix and pick up ingredients. Furthermore, they change the experience of eating so much more. I used to be a fast-eater, and switching to chopstick made me taste and appreciate meals in a surprisingly new way. Another way of eating is just with your bare hands, in which I like to consume fruits, falafels with pita or butter paneer with naan bread.
It definitely took me some time to get used to using chopsticks as a kid, and I think what contributed to that was learning calligraphy and arts, as it develops motor skills.
I didn't really think about it, but when you consider that Asia has the biggest population in the world then it's not a suprise.
2. Do you prefer to eat using chopsticks or cutlery? Maybe you know other ways of eating?
I definitely prefer cutlery. I've used since the begining of my life so it's obvious choice. I also heard of eating without any cutlery or chopsticks, so eating with your bare hands and I think that it's a lot better than chopsticks.
3. Have you ever tried eating chopsticks? If so, has it taken you long to learn?
Yes, I've tried it but I never learn it. It always was too frustrating for me and it was ending very quickly.
Yes, I knew that. When I was on trip in Asia I saw that every people in restaurant are eating with chopsticks. Especially in China, what is interesting when I was eating every restaurant gave me chopsticks and for a moment it was hard to eat all the meal using only them, but it very easy to learn. I have to admit that I was curious because I saw that they are eating a lot of rice and I cannot imagine how they are eating it with this two sticks but when I order a dish some chicken with rice and peanuts I realize that it is very sticky.
2. Do you prefer to eat using chopsticks or cutlery? Maybe you know other ways of eating?
It depends on what I am eating. I know some other way of eating, some meals you are eating just with your hands. For example fruits, bread etc. What is more I prefer to use cutlery daily, it is just more comfortable for me to use them. On the other hand there are some days where I am ordering sushi or going to some Chinese restaurant and there I prefer using chopsticks rather than cutlery. I like eating with sticks, but it is still kind of effort to use them.
3. Have you ever tried eating chopsticks? If so, has it taken you long to learn?
As I said, I have tried to eat with chopsticks. I have to practice for few days to learn how to eat with them properly but I think I got it now. It is still easier for me to use cutlery but I don't find it problematic to use chopsticks instead of casual daily knife and fork.
1. Did you know that so many people prefer eating chopsticks?
No, I didn't know about it, or rather I never thought about it. But naturally, this is because Asia is quite large. My grandfather was from China and they always had a chopsticks and my grandfather prefered to eat with chopsticks rather then cutlery even if it is not that popular in my country.
2. Do you prefer to eat using chopsticks or cutlery? Maybe you know other ways of eating?
I prefer to use cutlery especially when I am really hungry. However I don't mind using chopsticks.
Yes in my culture some of foods we eat without cutlery using just our hands. Our old generation says that it is more delicious to eat on this way.
3. Have you ever tried eating chopsticks? If so, has it taken you long to learn?
Of course I have eaten on this way and I don't think that you need a time to learn how to eat with chopsticks, you just need to hold the sticks right
Hah, I have assumed if Asia is the most populated continent then whatever they do is statistically more normal than anything else "the west" is doing. If I remember correctly, left-handed traffic is "the normal" in the world, as so many Asian countries (and UK Commonwealth, of course) use left-hand traffic.
I'm a big fan of Asian cousins and indeed, as it was pointed out in the video, Asian food is prepared and served with chopsticks in mind. When I'm served Asian food, here in Poland, chopsticks are always my "cutlery" of choice, purely by efficiency.
2. Do you prefer to eat using chopsticks or cutlery? Maybe you know other ways of eating?
Ah, I've already mentioned in the answer above. For Asian food, yes, I always choose chopsticks. Both from efficiency but also as part of the experience. For anything from local, polish cuisine, I prefer a fork and a knife. I doubt it would be even possible to eat beetroots, potatoes, and schnitzel with chopsticks.
3. Have you ever tried eating chopsticks? If so, has it taken you long to learn?
It started with my curiosity (which quickly became an obsession) about sushi. Once I moved to Warsaw and started my studies at PJATK I ate it very frequently. The boxes you can buy at convenient stores, like Carrefour, are pretty affordable and can substitute your lunch. They come with chopsticks included and it took me a couple of weeks until I felt it's natural to me to eat with chopsticks.
I like this culture and I remember how it was difficult to learn how to eat some food with chopsticks, but after few dinners it’s became like a regular cutlery(fork and knife).
Now I can choose between fork and chopsticks( I bought my own one more fancy than regular from restaurant). It’s more fun to eat food like rice\vegetables\small pieces meat with it, but when I tried to eat penne pasta that was awful, so I just took regular cutlery. So for some kind of food I would prefer fork and knife, but whenever it’s comfort to use chopsticks I would prefer them 😊
Another way of eating which I know it’s eating with your hands, I guess for pizza and buffalo wings this is the best way to enjoy your food, of course you should have wet napkins to keep your hands clean and not fat.