THE CULTURE OF USING CHOPSTICKS OF ASIAN AND VIETNAMESE PEOPLE

Comparing the tableware of Eastern and Western people, it is not difficult to realize the versatility of chopsticks. Chopsticks replace most other utensils, and can be used for most dishes.

Origin of chopsticks Chopsticks are believed to have been around 4,000 to 5,000 years ago in China. The earliest versions of the chopsticks we use today, were made from twigs and used for cooking because they could withstand heat in boiling water or hot oil. Around 500 – 400 BC, chopsticks began to be used as part of the tableware. There are many stories explaining the origin of chopsticks. Many people believe that the chopsticks were inspired by the long beaks of birds used to suck or grab fish, nuts and small fruits. Besides, there are also explanations with more realistic reasons, such as population growth causing many types of materials, especially food, to become increasingly scarce, people have to cut food. Cut into small pieces to cook faster and more economically. Small pieces of food make kitchen knives obsolete because they are too few to cut any further. At that time, chopsticks became a very simple and handy tool because they were made very easily from cheap and easily available ingredients. And so a new trend was born.The presence of knives on the dining table gradually faded, partly due to the influence of Confucian thought. As a vegetarian, Confucius considered it inappropriate to eat with a knife because, in his opinion, “a respectable and upright man should stay away from the slaughterhouse and the kitchen”. Within a century, chopsticks have “migrated” to other Asian countries such as Japan, Korea and Vietnam. Because in Asian countries, the main food is rice or grain, small, short or medium rice grains are often very sticky and lumpy. When they stick together, using chopsticks is very effective. It can be said that chopsticks are considered the soul of Asian meals. However, in each country, there is a way to create chopsticks and their own conception of the culture of using chopsticks. Chinese chopsticks used to be long, painted red, and the two ends were not much different in size. Whereas Japanese chopsticks often have decorative patterns, Korean chopsticks are usually flat and made of metal. Japanese and Korean chopsticks have rather small heads.

The culture of using chopsticks of Vietnamese people Vietnamese people in all regions have their own unique culinary culture, but one thing in common is that we all use chopsticks. In the old North, there were village bamboo ramparts, so people often used old bamboo stalks to make chopsticks. The South is sheltered by coconut trees, so Southerners use coconut trees to make chopsticks. Usually the Northern chopsticks are somewhat shorter than the Southern ones. But in general, Vietnamese traditional chopsticks have a round body and are left bare, not painted or decorated, and the tip of the chopsticks is usually not too small. Currently, along with the rapid population growth, and at the same time meeting the needs of users in the industrialization era, chopsticks are manufactured from many other materials such as plastic, stainless steel, aluminum, many restaurants also give food to customers. customers use disposable chopsticks…

Particularly in Vietnam, there are large and flat chopsticks to scoop rice from the pot into a bowl called chopsticks made from bamboo or wood. Before stirring the rice, if you want the rice to not stick, dip your chopsticks in the water, and after stirring the rice, use one chopstick to brush the rice out of the other, not knock on it to make a sound.Talking about how to hold chopsticks, it also has its own method. Before holding chopsticks, you must arrange the two ends of the chopsticks evenly, when using, only touch the top edge of the chopsticks, use 3 fingertips: thumb, index finger and middle finger to gently hold the chopsticks. The fingernail of the ring finger is placed under the chopstick surface, the thumb and index finger clamp the chopsticks, fix them, the end of the chopsticks is about 1 inch. That is to say, but you just need to hold the chopsticks so that they are comfortable to hold and easy to see. In the family, each person has their own way of holding chopsticks, children aged 3 and 4 were taught by their grandparents and parents how to use chopsticks to eat rice and pick up food. “Learn to eat, learn to speak, learn to pack, learn to open” is also a proverb left by his father to teach and educate each person from childhood. Children are taught that, before a meal, they must compare chopsticks, pay attention to whether the chopsticks are in the right direction, after the meal, they must put down their chopsticks neatly, do not let the chopsticks be staggered or skewed. If you cannot hold the chopsticks properly, you must also pay attention to your fingers, do not straighten your index finger when holding the chopsticks because this looks like you are pointing directly at the opposite person.When I was a child, adults also taught that, not to suck on chopsticks and suck on chopsticks because it is impolite at the table; when picking up food, do not rummage through the whole plate of food to find what you like; or when chatting during a meal, don’t chew while talking, hold chopsticks while dancing, telling stories… When dipping food, you should also pay attention not to let your chopsticks touch the sauce, and pay attention not to let your chopsticks touch the sauce. Dipping sauce is dirty on the table, do not use your chopsticks to stir the sauce or stir into the bowl of soup. These are small things, but if you don’t pay attention, they also make you ugly in the eyes of others. In folklore, Vietnamese people abstain from knocking chopsticks against each other, do not knock chopsticks into bowls, and should not make a noisy “swing of chopsticks”, even more should not have the sound of chewing.Chopsticks are not only a tool on the dining table, the culture of using chopsticks also shows the delicate care and sharing of Vietnamese people. At the beginning of the meal, especially in the traditional banquet, before picking up food for themselves, people use clean chopsticks to pick up food to invite others. During a meal, when you want to offer someone something, it is usually polite to turn the end of the chopsticks to pick it up with the other end.Although it is only a small item, the chopsticks contain a long history and profound philosophies in the Vietnamese family. Vietnamese chopsticks also partly become an item for parents to teach their children the first lessons of etiquette and manners.