A hearty "Happy Birthday!" to my mom. Words cannot describe how much I love, cherish and appreciate her, so I won't try here.
Interesting article about a study some people are doing indicating that long-term use of chopsticks may be linked to the development of arthritis (!). Some interesting points/quotes in the article:
Chinese food evolved into a bite-sized cuisine cooked with little fuel and easily grabbed by the slivers of wood — which would be difficult with most American meals. "Chinese food is different from Western food. You have big things like steaks that you have to cut and poke at. We have bits and pieces we need to snag. The tool fits the job," says Yang Jianping, a Sichuanese who has never used a fork.
...
She says Americans might have problems with their hands after using chopsticks because they hold them "too far down." But Chinese, she's sure, needn't worry. "My friends, none of them are using a fork or a spoon. In 200 years, we Chinese will still be using chopsticks no matter what the rest of the world is doing," Niu says.
"And," she insists, "we'll have stronger hands than anyone."
I remember having a conversation with an ex-coworker who was Caucasian without much exposure to Asian culture, and it was interesting how the way he was brought up essentially precluded him from using chopsticks even when we were at an Asian restaurant. He said that proper American etiquette meant that you never bit anything off at the mouth, but rather sliced it on your plate and lifted the bite-size piece to your mouth.
Incidentally, it wasn't until the cruise I went on with a few folks senior year of college where I learned that table manners dictates that you're supposed to hold the knife in your right, fork in your left, slice your food, then transfer the fork to your right hand to lift to your mouth. Who comes up with this stuff?
Just for the record... I'm not giving up my chopsticks any time soon.
Interesting article about a study some people are doing indicating that long-term use of chopsticks may be linked to the development of arthritis (!). Some interesting points/quotes in the article:
Chinese food evolved into a bite-sized cuisine cooked with little fuel and easily grabbed by the slivers of wood — which would be difficult with most American meals. "Chinese food is different from Western food. You have big things like steaks that you have to cut and poke at. We have bits and pieces we need to snag. The tool fits the job," says Yang Jianping, a Sichuanese who has never used a fork.
...
She says Americans might have problems with their hands after using chopsticks because they hold them "too far down." But Chinese, she's sure, needn't worry. "My friends, none of them are using a fork or a spoon. In 200 years, we Chinese will still be using chopsticks no matter what the rest of the world is doing," Niu says.
"And," she insists, "we'll have stronger hands than anyone."
I remember having a conversation with an ex-coworker who was Caucasian without much exposure to Asian culture, and it was interesting how the way he was brought up essentially precluded him from using chopsticks even when we were at an Asian restaurant. He said that proper American etiquette meant that you never bit anything off at the mouth, but rather sliced it on your plate and lifted the bite-size piece to your mouth.
Incidentally, it wasn't until the cruise I went on with a few folks senior year of college where I learned that table manners dictates that you're supposed to hold the knife in your right, fork in your left, slice your food, then transfer the fork to your right hand to lift to your mouth. Who comes up with this stuff?
Just for the record... I'm not giving up my chopsticks any time soon.
posted by Bob at
6:12 PM
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