Community Chat

[sidsmom]

I’m thinking of purchasing a set of nice chopsticks.

Any advice to a chopstick neophyte?

Stainless?

Is there a special length to choose?

What sort of price range?

TIA!

🥢🌼🥢🌼🥢🌼

[Mz iMac]

I have nice chop sticks.  Some are wooden & others are some kind of shiny wood.  A few has my first name in Mandarin.

All purchased from Chinatown.  In my neck of the woods you can purchase really nice chop sticks from any Chinese grocery store, restaurant and/or take-out joint.  If there is a Chinatown in your region, make that your first stop.

Never seen a Chinese eating w/stainless steel chop sticks.  Are you planning on using them or just for decoration?

[QueenDanceALot]

I like very smooth wooden ones, but I don't have any specific recommendations.

No one even had to teach me how to use them.  I was a natural!  

I must've been Asian in a past life.

[Mz iMac]

@QueenDanceALot  You are so lucky.

I was forced to learn.  Went to residential area in San Francisco (no tourist) at a Chinese family run restaurant in my early 20's.  No silverware just chopsticks.

My cousins & I kept staring at the people sitting at the next table.  I learned how to use them eating rice.  Took an hour to get the hang of it before I became a "natural."

[sidsmom]

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@Mz iMac wrote:

I have nice chop sticks.  Some are wooden & others are some kind of shiny wood.  A few has my first name in Mandarin.

All purchased from Chinatown.  In my neck of the woods you can purchase really nice chop sticks from any Chinese grocery store, restaurant and/or take-out joint.  If there is a Chinatown in your region, make that your first stop.

Never seen a Chinese eating w/stainless steel chop sticks.  Are you planning on using them or just for decoration?

---

I just naturally thought they could be stainless...!

See...this is why I ask my peeps here!

Yes, I’m planning to use them.

If I’m a @QueenDanceALot natural, great;

if not, I’m determined to work on this eye/hand coordination.

[SilleeMee]

I grew up using bamboo mostly. The length about 8 to 9 inches. My Japanese mom used different ones for cooking vs eating. Some were more decorative for entertaining. I would start with wooden ones if you haven't used them before. A note about the smoothness... I find that the very smooth wooden or lacquered ones tend to be slippery.

[QueenDanceALot]

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@Mz iMac wrote:

@QueenDanceALot  You are so lucky.

I was forced to learn.  Went to residential area in San Francisco (no tourist) at a Chinese family run restaurant in my early 20's.  No silverware just chopsticks.

My cousins & I kept staring at the people sitting at the next table.  I learned how to use them eating rice.  Took an hour to get the hang of it before I became a "natural."

---

@Mz iMac

Do you watch "Criminal Minds"?  You just reminded me of an episode where the agents were eating at an Asian restaurant and Spencer was just so frustrated because his food kept falling off his chopsticks.

I remember when I first started using them and a boyfriend told me to just watch Asian people eating, holding to bowl up close to their mouths and basically using the chopsticks as a "shovel".  I lived in NYC at the time an we often ate in Chinatown.

The shovel thing was easy, but I liked the finesse of picking up one green bean or grain of rice.

I guess I'm a chopstick snob.

[Mz iMac]

YouTube has excellent tutorials on how to use chopsticks.  Most by young children.  Very detailed instructions from someone so young.

It's how my GS & SIL learned to use chop sticks as both are left handers.

[QueenDanceALot]

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@SilleeMee wrote:

I grew up using bamboo mostly. The length about 8 to 9 inches. My Japanese mom used different ones for cooking vs eating. Some were more decorative for entertaining. I would start with wooden ones if you haven't used them before. A note about the smoothness... I find that the very smooth wooden or lacquered ones tend to be slippery.

---

@SilleeMee

Yes, Bamboo!!

I agree that the smooth ones can be very slippery.

[QueenDanceALot]

@sidsmom

Lots of options on Amazon.

Pretty bamboo ones, stainless decorative ones, titanium ones!,

and even some that light up!

I loved a pretty set of bamboo that had a leafy design on them.