NationStates Jolt Archive

These days, it seems to me that this skill is fairly common, but I just watched a white boy completely fail at using chopsticks, and I decided to do a poll. At this particular fast-food joint, they don't hand out any other cutlery, and the person in question ended up wearing his orange chicken. It was amusing.

So? What sort of skills do you have with chopsticks?

Well, being in SoCal and loving most Asian foods, this white boy is pretty good with them. I don't think I could do any tricks but I can make do well enough to feed myself.

I used them once. Was sort of useless, but I didn't spill any food on me, and got the hang of them in the end.

None, I just don't get how you use them! I just don't get it!!!

I learned to use them very early, about the same time I learned to use knife and fork.
I don't use them every day, and I HAVE seen Asians use them... I'm far from being a pro, but I can feed myself without making a mess easily enough.

There are a lot of asian food restaurants in Edmonton, and a lot of asians here in general...I love chopsticks! I hate cutlery...I eat with my hands whenever possible. Chopsticks are the next best thing...and rice just doesn't taste the same if you eat it with a fork. Don't ask me why.

I don't eat Asian food (I prefer blandness, thanks) so I probably wouldn't have any idea tbh.

There are a lot of asian food restaurants in Edmonton, and a lot of asians here in general...I love chopsticks! I hate cutlery...I eat with my hands whenever possible. Chopsticks are the next best thing...and rice just doesn't taste the same if you eat it with a fork. Don't ask me why.

I've found you don't get the metallic taste as much. Ever had sticky rice with mango? Find yourself some of that and you will be in heaven, guaranteed.

These days, it seems to me that this skill is fairly common, but I just watched a white boy completely fail at using chopsticks, and I decided to do a poll. At this particular fast-food joint, they don't hand out any other cutlery, and the person in question ended up wearing his orange chicken. It was amusing.

So? What sort of skills do you have with chopsticks?

I think I could eat without making a mess, but I'm not sure about swallowing.

I've found you don't get the metallic taste as much. Ever had sticky rice with mango? Find yourself some of that and you will be in heaven, guaranteed.

Ooooh lordy yes...I prefer the milky version for desert in the Indian restaurants. Divinity. I sneak chopsticks in :D

These days, it seems to me that this skill is fairly common, but I just watched a white boy completely fail at using chopsticks, and I decided to do a poll. At this particular fast-food joint, they don't hand out any other cutlery, and the person in question ended up wearing his orange chicken. It was amusing.

So? What sort of skills do you have with chopsticks?
How the hell else do you eat in Japan and China? They don't have forks in the towns I visit.

i can eat with them... but what's the fucking point? a spoon is way more effective at shovelling food into one's face.

rice is especially infuriating with chopsticks. skills-wise, i can pick up ice cubes out of my coke with them... then they fly all over the place, but it can be done :P
i eat at a chinese place about once a week at lunch, at work, and they have chopsticks and spoons on the table. i use both :)

I'm really good, and don't remember being taught.

I'm actually pretty damn good at it. If I can help it, I won't eat Oriental food without chopsticks.

Ooooh lordy yes...I prefer the milky version for desert in the Indian restaurants. Divinity. I sneak chopsticks in :D

Awesome, I now have a plan for dinner this weekend. I'm now having an internal debate on what my favorite asian food is. *sigh* I will be forever indebted to my first Korean gf for this. Yellow fever has led to many good things for me.

I voted for option 4. Although I'm not quite sure what Merkins (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merkin) have to do with chopsticks...

I don't see what's so difficult about chopsticks. But then, I suppose that might be because I've used them since childhood. I almost always use them when I eat Asian foods.

I voted for option 4. Although I'm not quite sure what Merkins (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merkin) have to do with chopsticks...

Well quite obviously you can crochet a merkin with them.

Well quite obviously you can crochet a merkin with them.

And end up with peanut sauce on my crotch? No, thanks! :p

I don't see what's so difficult about chopsticks. But then, I suppose that might be because I've used them since childhood. I almost always use them when I eat Asian foods.

To freak people out, you should use them to eat your burger and fries. *nods*

They'd be PERFECT for pasta...I wonder if Antonio at Dino's would kick my ass for that though.

I eat too fast.

So I used chopsticks for a while to slow myself down.

And now I eat too fast with chopsticks. Not too well. Just too fast.

They make good travel cutlery. Keep a pair in your purse or knapsack.

I eat too fast.

So I used chopsticks for a while to slow myself down.

And now I eat too fast with chopsticks. Not too well. Just too fast.

I enjoy watching you eat. It is epic. You're a good hand-eater too.

They make good travel cutlery. Keep a pair in your purse or knapsack.

I think they'd make a good weapon in a pinch too.

I think they'd make a good weapon in a pinch too.

Jet Li.

Bridget Fonda.

Paris.

In wahtever crappy movie there is wherein we find all three, there's a nice little scene of him driving a pair through someone's neck.

These days, it seems to me that this skill is fairly common, but I just watched a white boy completely fail at using chopsticks, and I decided to do a poll. At this particular fast-food joint, they don't hand out any other cutlery, and the person in question ended up wearing his orange chicken. It was amusing.

So? What sort of skills do you have with chopsticks?

<=== white boy who is a pro at them and orange flavored chicken, well, now you've got my hungry

To freak people out, you should use them to eat your burger and fries. *nods*

They'd be PERFECT for pasta...I wonder if Antonio at Dino's would kick my ass for that though.

Actually, I have used chopsticks to eat fries before. Never a burger, though.

I'm a master at them, although that may be because I have a different grip than most of the people I've met. I use a grip very similar to the Vulcan "live long and prosper" greeting, with the sticks aligned between the ring/pinky and index/birdie finger. The advantage is that the most of the manipulation comes from the index/birdie finger working in tandem with the thumb, but I've noticed a lot of people using a much narrower grip with only the index and thumb providing movement.

I've been practicing because I now live on the Pac Rim and eat Asian food regularly. I also use my chopstick technique in other situations to pickup things that are dirty or hot.
When you are really good at chopsticks you can pick up marbles.

I'm doing okay. However, I do not have the patience. I prefer our cutlery. Knife, fork, spoon.

When I'm at a Chinese restaurant, I'm there to eat the food. Hot. Not seeing it cool down while regaining useless skills with chopsticks.

The only stuff I'll eat coming off a wooden stick is shashlik.

http://www.russlandjournal.de/uploads/tx_templavoila/schaschlik_01.jpg

If I eat rice, noodles or most forms of pasta, I'll probably use chopsticks (not for lasagna, though...). My wife and our oldest daughter are all about the same on that, and the little ones are learning to use chopsticks about as quick as they're mastering 'conventional' utensils.

I tend not to use chopsticks for Indian food in Indian restaurants, but that's only because they don't have them.

I guess I just like eating with chopsticks... but we tend towards that kind of food, finger-food, and 'hand-food' anyway.

Chopsticks take a little while to get used to, but they're rather usable for eating. Mind you, a bowl of soup will still require a spoon.

There are a lot of asian food restaurants in Edmonton, and a lot of asians here in general...I love chopsticks! I hate cutlery...I eat with my hands whenever possible. Chopsticks are the next best thing...and rice just doesn't taste the same if you eat it with a fork. Don't ask me why.
Maybe you just like the taste of splinters?
I can use chopsticks, but I can also use forks, and I like forks better because forks stab things. STABBY! STABBY! STABBY!!! Those chunks of broccoli never even saw it coming, the poor bastards.

Being a Chinese fellow, I use chopsticks daily. Proficiently too, at that.

chopsticks should have a hole down the middle so they could double up as a straw *nods*

YES! Goddammit, yes, I can use the bloody things! AND do so well!
*huff huff huff*
Ok, I feel better now. :p Bet Daistallia's the only one who's gonna get that.

Given where I live, it should come as no surprise that I use them daily and usually for each meal. Actually, it's gotten to the point where I've found that my skills with a knife and fork are starting to suffer when I went home for a visit, I had forgotten my table manners and it just felt awkward to hack and stab everything instead of gracefully picking up already cut pieces and eating them.

Never had a reason to use them. In other words, I would do the stab thing with them. I fail... :(

These days, it seems to me that this skill is fairly common, but I just watched a white boy completely fail at using chopsticks, and I decided to do a poll. At this particular fast-food joint, they don't hand out any other cutlery, and the person in question ended up wearing his orange chicken. It was amusing.

So? What sort of skills do you have with chopsticks?

None. Chopsticks are a horrible food implement. Give me a fork over chopsticks any day.

I'm mediocre with them. I can pick up most foods with them without particular difficulty, but rice still thwarts me a lot of the time. :tongue:

I can pick up ice cubes with them. Dunno if that's good or not.

i can eat with them... but what's the fucking point? a spoon is way more effective at shovelling food into one's face.

rice is especially infuriating with chopsticks. skills-wise, i can pick up ice cubes out of my coke with them... then they fly all over the place, but it can be done :P
i eat at a chinese place about once a week at lunch, at work, and they have chopsticks and spoons on the table. i use both :)

You put the rice bowl right near your bottom lip and shovel.

Chopsticks take a little while to get used to, but they're rather usable for eating. Mind you, a bowl of soup will still require a spoon.

No no! You eat all the stuff in the soup with the chopsticks, then you sip the broth straight from the bowl!

Given where I live, it should come as no surprise that I use them daily and usually for each meal. Actually, it's gotten to the point where I've found that my skills with a knife and fork are starting to suffer when I went home for a visit, I had forgotten my table manners and it just felt awkward to hack and stab everything instead of gracefully picking up already cut pieces and eating them.

I am...inept and inelegant with forks and knives. Particularly in tandem. For many, many years now, I cut up all my food prior to eating it. The only time I don't do this is when people are watching me eat and I don't want them to see me being a weirdo. But then I fumble awkwardly with the damn utensils and look like a weirdo anyway.

No no! You eat all the stuff in the soup with the chopsticks, then you sip the broth straight from the bowl!

and this is better than a spoon...how?

You put the rice bowl right near your bottom lip and shovel.

'zactly.

and this is better than a spoon...how?

If you have to ask, then you won't understand.

I'm quite good with chopsticks. I do get yelled at by friends at sushi places because I use my hands, but that is (from what I am told) the more appropriate way to eat them. Eating sushi with chopsticks looks like eating a burger with a knife and fork (again, or so I am told)

I'm quite good with chopsticks. I do get yelled at by friends at sushi places because I use my hands, but that is (from what I am told) the more appropriate way to eat them. Eating sushi with chopsticks looks like eating a burger with a knife and fork (again, or so I am told)

I don't use chopsticks for food that is so sumptuously and perfectly meant to be eaten with your fingers.

I can kill a man at 30 paces with chopsticks

it's much harder with a spoon

I am...inept and inelegant with forks and knives. Particularly in tandem. For many, many years now, I cut up all my food prior to eating it. The only time I don't do this is when people are watching me eat and I don't want them to see me being a weirdo. But then I fumble awkwardly with the damn utensils and look like a weirdo anyway.

I have been told from people who have been in America that this how they saw many Americans eating, they would chop up the food first and then eat it.

Yes I can use Chopsticks quite well, whether I am using them correctly or not is another matter.

I have been told from people who have been in America that this how they saw many Americans eating, they would chop up the food first and then eat it.

I can't make sense of this sentence.

Also, I want it made very clear I am not a citizen of the US.

And I mostly grew up eating with my hands :P

Yes I can use Chopsticks quite well, whether I am using them correctly or not is another matter.

The song? How does one use Chopsticks? Is it perhaps an implement of torture? I bet if you blasted it at people in Guantanamo, you'd have AI on your ass.

I, as one who was raised inredibly WASP-y, used chopsticks for the first time the other day. I actually found it kinda easy. I just looked at what the other fellow was doing on table 7, and copied. It was a TAD tricky to actually pick the rice up to transport it to my mouth, but I got the hang easily enough. My main gripe was that I couldn't get my delicious Thai yellow chicken curry with red capsicum down FAST enough. I had to slow down and eat at a polite speed. This is something I do not do often. It confused me :(

And I believe what Blouman is referring to is the practise of Northern Americans (Canadians have been rumoured to do this, but it is just a rumour, whereas I KNOW yanks do it) cutting up their entire meal prior to eating, then putting their knife down and using the fork solely.

I have heard two explanations for this:
1) For some time in American history they had a serious shortage of knives, and as such had to share, which would account for this bizzarre behaviour.
2) They use their hands so much when they talk, that it is a safety thing, to prevent the stab effect. Can't say I blame them.

And I believe what Blouman is referring to is the practise of Northern Americans (Canadians have been rumoured to do this, but it is just a rumour, whereas I KNOW yanks do it) cutting up their entire meal prior to eating, then putting their knife down and using the fork solely.

I have heard two explanations for this:
1) For some time in American history they had a serious shortage of knives, and as such had to share, which would account for this bizzarre behaviour.
2) They use their hands so much when they talk, that it is a safety thing, to prevent the stab effect. Can't say I blame them.
I've never seen another Canadian do it. Ever. When I do it in sight of witnesses, I am mocked relentlessly.

As for hand talking, our stereotype here in that regard is that it's the Francophones we need to be worried about.

This can only mean one thing. Somehow I was switched at birth with a Canadian baby, and I'm actually from the US.

Shoot me now.

The song? How does one use Chopsticks? Is it perhaps an implement of torture? I bet if you blasted it at people in Guantanamo, you'd have AI on your ass.

You never knew that was my job? Very funny Nessika, very well I can use chopsticks quite well, i am not to sure if I am using them properly but I am able to eat with them.

I can't make sense of this sentence.

Also, I want it made very clear I am not a citizen of the US.

And I mostly grew up eating with my hands :P

My apologies I thought you were. You said sometimes you would cut up your meal prior to eating it, I thought you lived in the US, and I was saying that many people I have spoken to who have been in the US, saw that this is how they ate their meals. First they cut it all up prior to eating it.

What Svalbardania said, I like explanation numer 2 better, but number one may be more plausible.

and this is better than a spoon...how?

Sometimes soups contain long noodles that slide off the spoon.

I can't make sense of this sentence.

Also, I want it made very clear I am not a citizen of the US.

And I mostly grew up eating with my hands :P

They cut the food up first. Then they eat it. They don't cut, eat, cut, eat, et cetera.

I can't make sense of this sentence.

Also, I want it made very clear I am not a citizen of the US.

And I mostly grew up eating with my hands :P

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fork_etiquette

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fork_etiquette

That article says the only difference is that Euros and Canadians keep the fork in their left hand while eating where as Americans switch hands. Both use the cut eat cut eat method. The only time I hear of people cutting up their food completely before hand are small children who dont have knife skillz so parent cuts it all.

And I believe what Blouman is referring to is the practise of Northern Americans (Canadians have been rumoured to do this, but it is just a rumour, whereas I KNOW yanks do it) cutting up their entire meal prior to eating, then putting their knife down and using the fork solely.
I've never done this, and I'm as American as they come. By which I mean nothing, as usual.
2) They use their hands so much when they talk, that it is a safety thing, to prevent the stab effect. Can't say I blame them.
That's only those damn Guineas, damn them and their rich body language.

I've never seen another Canadian do it. Ever. When I do it in sight of witnesses, I am mocked relentlessly.

As for hand talking, our stereotype here in that regard is that it's the Francophones we need to be worried about.

This can only mean one thing. Somehow I was switched at birth with a Canadian baby, and I'm actually from the US.

Shoot me now.

I'm glad to hear that most Canadians do not practise the dark arts of USian eating etiquette.

You, on the other hand... :(

And I believe what Blouman is referring to is the practise of Northern Americans (Canadians have been rumoured to do this, but it is just a rumour, whereas I KNOW yanks do it) cutting up their entire meal prior to eating, then putting their knife down and using the fork solely.

I have heard two explanations for this:
1) For some time in American history they had a serious shortage of knives, and as such had to share, which would account for this bizzarre behaviour.
2) They use their hands so much when they talk, that it is a safety thing, to prevent the stab effect. Can't say I blame them.

I usually only see people doing this for children who can't use knives. I was taught that it was poor manners to do so for oneself. If I eat a piece of meat, like a steak (which I don't often--the little meat I eat is usually cooked into soemthing) I cut with my left hand and eat with my right, fork turned so the tines curve down.

Something I DO see people do all of the time is butter an entire piece of bread at a restaurant and take bites from it. I was always taught that it was poor manners to do that, and that one should rather break 1-2 bite-sized pieces from the bread and butter them individually. But I very rarely see anyone do that, so I don't know if it's old-fashioned or what.

Been eating sushi and other real Asian food since i was 8. and I used to live in Korea.

2) They use their hands so much when they talk, that it is a safety thing, to prevent the stab effect. Can't say I blame them.

Go to Korea and watch the Chopsticks go all over the place while they talk. One of the things ever Americans find amusing. Its enough movement to think we yanks are statues.

Though to cut up all the food and eat it at once is considered improper and very low class except for small children that we don't trust yet with a steak knife.

Something I DO see people do all of the time is butter an entire piece of bread at a restaurant and take bites from it. I was always taught that it was poor manners to do that, and that one should rather break 1-2 bite-sized pieces from the bread and butter them individually. But I very rarely see anyone do that, so I don't know if it's old-fashioned or what.

Interesting, I will butter my bread and then procede to break off pieces indvidually. Not that my table manners are anything special but they are better than most.

These days, it seems to me that this skill is fairly common, but I just watched a white boy completely fail at using chopsticks, and I decided to do a poll. At this particular fast-food joint, they don't hand out any other cutlery, and the person in question ended up wearing his orange chicken. It was amusing.

So? What sort of skills do you have with chopsticks?
I once was using chopsticks out with my colleagues -- I've used them since I was in high school, a VERY long time ago. One of my colleagues, who is Korean, was staring at me so I asked, "Am I doing it wrong?"

According to her she was trying to see how I was doing it because she was hopeless; her parents had forks at home and everyone out ASSUMED she could use them.

;) I was tickled by the irony.

Also, the girl who taught me to use them was Jewish... ironically she was giving me grief about picking up baby corn and teasing me not to drop it... guess who ended up with food all over her shirt? ;) (not me!)

I usually only see people doing this for children who can't use knives. I was taught that it was poor manners to do so for oneself. If I eat a piece of meat, like a steak (which I don't often--the little meat I eat is usually cooked into soemthing) I cut with my left hand and eat with my right, fork turned so the tines curve down.

Something I DO see people do all of the time is butter an entire piece of bread at a restaurant and take bites from it. I was always taught that it was poor manners to do that, and that one should rather break 1-2 bite-sized pieces from the bread and butter them individually. But I very rarely see anyone do that, so I don't know if it's old-fashioned or what.

I'm very glad to hear it. I mean, that's basically that you eat like pretty much everyone else who uses knife and fork. Hive-mind eating habits are good :). But when I was staying with my father a few years back, I saw heaps of people doing it. It seemed like an odd practise. So I was curious to see what other people did.

I learned to use chopsticks very quickly when I went to a Japanese restaurant in Year 8. Now, I use them all the time for Asian food, even at home.

You put the rice bowl right near your bottom lip and shovel.

'zactly.
Philistines! ;)

I'm quite good with chopsticks. I do get yelled at by friends at sushi places because I use my hands, but that is (from what I am told) the more appropriate way to eat them. Eating sushi with chopsticks looks like eating a burger with a knife and fork (again, or so I am told)
It... depends. Some sushi you're supposed to do that, some you do use the o-hashi, and it also depends upon where you're getting the sushi from.

But, if you're getting it at a restaurant or are being served it individually, using your fingers is fine.

Interesting, I will butter my bread and then procede to break off pieces indvidually. Not that my table manners are anything special but they are better than most.
How odd, because I butter the entire loaf, then refuse to eat it because I'm lactose intolerant.

So? What sort of skills do you have with chopsticks?

Equal proficiency with cutlery and chopsticks. Enough to use it to eat without spilling, dropping, able to pick up small items, and never to cross them (the chopsticks). I generally prefer to hold them at the far end though, rather than 75% of the way from the holding tip.

I just picked 'em up and they worked the first time I tried, a solid fourteen years ago.

Philistines! ;)

I suppose you have mastered the art of picking one grain up at a time and eating an entire bowl in less than a minute?

How odd, because I butter the entire loaf, then refuse to eat it because I'm lactose intolerant.

lol

You put the rice bowl right near your bottom lip and shovel.

Only if you're doing cheap knockoff methods. Real mastery means you can clump up the rice between your chopsticks without spilling and eat from there. And when there's insufficient rice to do so, you can pick out the individual grains.

I suppose you have mastered the art of picking one grain up at a time and eating an entire bowl in less than a minute?

Depending upon the size of the bowl, yes.

Seriously, the rice is supposed to be sticky enough that it clumps, I can grab those and eat with no problems and then work on getting the rice grains that are left. The shoveling method is considered bad manners in Japan, akin to taking a whole piece of non-bite sized food and shoving it into your mouth all at once.

Only if you're doing cheap knockoff methods. Real mastery means you can clump up the rice between your chopsticks without spilling and eat from there. And when there's insufficient rice to do so, you can pick out the individual grains.

different Asian cultures have different ways to eat rice. the Japanese your supposed to life up your bowl. The Koreans use a spoon. etc...

Depending upon the size of the bowl, yes.

Seriously, the rice is supposed to be sticky enough that it clumps, I can grab those and eat with no problems and then work on getting the rice grains that are left. The shoveling method is considered bad manners in Japan, akin to taking a whole piece of non-bite sized food and shoving it into your mouth all at once.

So taking a a clump of rice at once is alright then? Ok I'm better at eating with chopsticks than I thought. I was under the impression that the proper way was one at a time but with such speed that the portion was eaten rather quickly.

So taking a a clump of rice at once is alright then? Ok I'm better at eating with chopsticks than I thought. I was under the impression that the proper way was one at a time but with such speed that the portion was eaten rather quickly.
The general idea is to hold your chawan in your hand opposite the one you're using for your chopsticks, grab a piece of whatever the main dish is, bounce it off the rice and pick up a little clump of the stuff and then put it into your mouth. Rice has no taste, so it picks up whatever you bounce off of it.

But, yes, you eat it in clumps, just not too large of one. The last little bits of rice that stick to your bowl can be picked off individually, have tea poured over them and drunk, or ignored. If you're eating rice with something soupy, you can get a spoon to help with the looser, wetter rice.

Do you ever devise meals that are deliberately difficult to eat with chopsticks just for the entertainment?

Biscuits and Gravy with chopsticks is fun. As is Jell-o and macaroni and cheese. :)

The general idea is to hold your chawan in your hand opposite the one you're using for your chopsticks, grab a piece of whatever the main dish is, bounce it off the rice and pick up a little clump of the stuff and then put it into your mouth. Rice has no taste, so it picks up whatever you bounce off of it.

But, yes, you eat it in clumps, just not too large of one. The last little bits of rice that stick to your bowl can be picked off individually, have tea poured over them and drunk, or ignored. If you're eating rice with something soupy, you can get a spoon to help with the looser, wetter rice.

Thanks for the info, I should try it more often, but your making me hungry now, I might wander down the street and pick up some lunch from the Chinese restaurant.

Biscuits and Gravy with chopsticks is fun. As is Jell-o and macaroni and cheese. :)

And you would mix these items why? Really LG what goes through your mind sometimes.

I'm fairly competent. I eat my lunch every Friday with them (I pack Bento for me and the girls).

I'm not as good as my husband is when it comes to like noodle soup (not much experience) or rice (his rice is more sticky than mine!) but in my defense he lived in Japan for a few years where I haven't.

Real mastery means you can clump up the rice between your chopsticks without spilling and eat from there. And when there's insufficient rice to do so, you can pick out the individual grains.
This only works if you've got the right kind of rice for it. Most western rice isn't sticky enough to clump properly, so it'll just fall off your sticks. Then you starve to death while staring at a bowl of unsticky rice, a modern day Tantalus tortured by and for your attitudes toward food.

And you would mix these items why? Really LG what goes through your mind sometimes.

Mind? :confused:

This only works if you've got the right kind of rice for it. Most western rice isn't sticky enough to clump properly, so it'll just fall off your sticks. Then you starve to death while staring at a bowl of unsticky rice, a modern day Tantalus.

*takes notes*

Mind? :confused:

That would explain it :tongue:

None, I just don't get how you use them! I just don't get it!!!
http://www.bettycrocker.com/how-to/cooking-basics/how-to-subchannel/How-to-Use-Chopsticks.htm?WT.mc_id=paid_search_phase2_08&WT.srch=1&esrc=335

And you would mix these items why? Really LG what goes through your mind sometimes.

those are both traditional southern dishes.

I can kill a man at 30 paces with chopsticks

it's much harder with a spoon
...but it's DULL and it HURTS MORE.... ;)

I, as one who was raised inredibly WASP-y, used chopsticks for the first time the other day. I actually found it kinda easy. I just looked at what the other fellow was doing on table 7, and copied. It was a TAD tricky to actually pick the rice up to transport it to my mouth, but I got the hang easily enough. My main gripe was that I couldn't get my delicious Thai yellow chicken curry with red capsicum down FAST enough. I had to slow down and eat at a polite speed. This is something I do not do often. It confused me :(

And I believe what Blouman is referring to is the practise of Northern Americans (Canadians have been rumoured to do this, but it is just a rumour, whereas I KNOW yanks do it) cutting up their entire meal prior to eating, then putting their knife down and using the fork solely.

I have heard two explanations for this:
1) For some time in American history they had a serious shortage of knives, and as such had to share, which would account for this bizzarre behaviour.
2) They use their hands so much when they talk, that it is a safety thing, to prevent the stab effect. Can't say I blame them.
For the record, I am US American and no, I don't cut up the entire meal before eating it -- that's what you do for babies who aren't competent to handle a knife safely. You cut your meal up one bite at a time -- sever the piece you want to eat from the main with the fork in one hand and knife in the other, then eat the bite, sever, then eat.

...but it's DULL and it HURTS MORE.... ;)


For the record, I am US American and no, I don't cut up the entire meal before eating it -- that's what you do for babies who aren't competent to handle a knife safely. You cut your meal up one bite at a time -- sever the piece you want to eat from the main with the fork in one hand and knife in the other, then eat the bite, sever, then eat.

This. I also don't really talk with my hands all that much...

This. I also don't really talk with my hands all that much...

I talk with my hands a lot but I don't often talk while eating, it's bad for your digestion (says grandma). I cut up my meat one piece at a time and keep my knife in my hand and eat with my fork in my left hand. I've been told this is "un-American" and that I am supposed to put my knife down and switch my fork to my dominant hand.......I have no dominant hand. :(

This. I also don't really talk with my hands all that much...
I'm Italian-American and I don't talk with my hands at the table.

I talk with my hands a lot but I don't often talk while eating, it's bad for your digestion (says grandma). I cut up my meat one piece at a time and keep my knife in my hand and eat with my fork in my left hand. I've been told this is "un-American" and that I am supposed to put my knife down and switch my fork to my dominant hand.......I have no dominant hand. :(
I've never heard it called "un-American"...
I generally go with the same style as you, except with the knife in the left hand. Makes live really annoying at the table unless I sit on the same side as the other lefties.

I do occasionally use the zig-zag method, but it's rare.
I'm Italian-American and I don't talk with my hands at the table.
even my friends who always talk with their hands seem to not do so at the table.

those are both traditional southern dishes.

Please tell me your joking. Jelly and macaroni cheese? Come on, biscuits and gravy well that all depends what a biscuit is for you guys it may be plausible.

Something I DO see people do all of the time is butter an entire piece of bread at a restaurant and take bites from it. I was always taught that it was poor manners to do that, and that one should rather break 1-2 bite-sized pieces from the bread and butter them individually. But I very rarely see anyone do that, so I don't know if it's old-fashioned or what. I always break stuff down. I'm fidgety, and especially with bread, I like to break pieces off and use it to mop up sauces or whatever.

I'm glad to hear that most Canadians do not practise the dark arts of USian eating etiquette.

You, on the other hand... :( I'm more Canadian than most Canadians, so they're doing it wrong :P

Depending upon the size of the bowl, yes.

Seriously, the rice is supposed to be sticky enough that it clumps, I can grab those and eat with no problems and then work on getting the rice grains that are left. The shoveling method is considered bad manners in Japan, akin to taking a whole piece of non-bite sized food and shoving it into your mouth all at once.
Na na, you shovel once you've exhausted the stickiness. You can usually form a little ball with the chopsticks and pick it up no problem...but after a while, the loose rice gathers in the dish and you need to get it out somehow. Hence the shovelling method.

This only works if you've got the right kind of rice for it. Most western rice isn't sticky enough to clump properly, so it'll just fall off your sticks. Then you starve to death while staring at a bowl of unsticky rice, a modern day Tantalus tortured by and for your attitudes toward food.

Depends on how you cook it.

And besides, I wasn't aware there were rice paddies in France. Western rice?

And besides, I wasn't aware there were rice paddies in France. Western rice?
Someone should get on to telling these people (http://www.usarice.com/) that they don't really exist, then.

Please tell me your joking. Jelly and macaroni cheese? Come on, biscuits and gravy well that all depends what a biscuit is for you guys it may be plausible.

this is Biscuit http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/Runny_hunny.jpg


And trust me you dont know what good food is until you eat Jello and Mac and cheese. *NOTE* Jello is not Jelly. totally different.

this is Biscuit http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/Runny_hunny.jpg

Oh a scone well yes that is a bit better, not that I would have gravy with it, strawberry jam (Jelly) and whipped cream yes, gravy perhaps not.

And trust me you dont know what good food is until you eat Jello and Mac and cheese. *NOTE* Jello is not Jelly. totally different.

I don't think I'm game enough to try it, well when I am in the south of the US and I see it on a menu then I will order it to taste it, but until then wtf? What flavour is normally used?

I do know what Jello is it's just that I know it as Jelly, where as what you call Jelly I know it as Jam.

Oh a scone well yes that is a bit better, not that I would have gravy with it, strawberry jam (Jelly) and whipped cream yes, gravy perhaps not.
Not QUITE a scone. Scones are a wee bit different than biscuits.

Oh a scone well yes that is a bit better, not that I would have gravy with it, strawberry jam (Jelly) and whipped cream yes, gravy perhaps not.



I don't think I'm game enough to try it, well when I am in the south of the US and I see it on a menu then I will order it to taste it, but until then wtf? What flavour is normally used?

I do know what Jello is it's just that I know it as Jelly, where as what you call Jelly I know it as Jam.

We use the plain flavor. or flavorless.

So? What sort of skills do you have with chopsticks?

I eat pretty much exclusively with chopsitcks, except for vacations back home. My skills at chopsticks excceed my skills with knife and fork, probably. I honestly can't remember the last time I used a knife, fork, or western style spoon. It may have been my last vacation, back in January...

I eat with my hands whenever possible. Chopsticks are the next best thing...and rice just doesn't taste the same if you eat it with a fork. Don't ask me why.

I've found I have trouble eating rice with a fork. I've actually asked for chopsticks in western style restaurants over here.

I've found you don't get the metallic taste as much.

Bingo.

How the hell else do you eat in Japan and China? They don't have forks in the towns I visit.

Don't know about China, but even tiny villages here in Japan do knife and fork.
Some restaurants may not have them, but most places will be able to find a set somewhere, unless it's a fast food place or ramen shop.

To freak people out, you should use them to eat your burger and fries. *nods*

I have. Fries are particularly common here. And at school parties, students will sometimes bring a bag of burgers, which are usually quartered and may be eaten by hand or with chopsticks.

They'd be PERFECT for pasta...I wonder if Antonio at Dino's would kick my ass for that though.

They are good for pasta. Most ramen places here, as I noted above, don't have forks. However, with Italian pasta it would depend on the place. A more formal place probably wouldn't have chopsticks.

They make good travel cutlery. Keep a pair in your purse or knapsack.

Indeed so.

YES! Goddammit, yes, I can use the bloody things! AND do so well!
*huff huff huff*
Ok, I feel better now. :p Bet Daistallia's the only one who's gonna get that.

Indeed. LOL

Given where I live, it should come as no surprise that I use them daily and usually for each meal. Actually, it's gotten to the point where I've found that my skills with a knife and fork are starting to suffer when I went home for a visit, I had forgotten my table manners and it just felt awkward to hack and stab everything instead of gracefully picking up already cut pieces and eating them.

Exactly so. I remember a few years back going out for a steak for my birthday. There was a choice of rice or bread, and I had the rice. They brought a plate of Japanese style rice and no hashi. After trying to eat it with the fork, I had to ask for chopsticks...

and this is better than a spoon...how?

Unless you're using a ceramic Chinese style spoon (generally used for thicker liquids), a metallic spoon imparts a taste.

The general idea is to hold your chawan in your hand opposite the one you're using for your chopsticks, grab a piece of whatever the main dish is, bounce it off the rice and pick up a little clump of the stuff and then put it into your mouth. Rice has no taste, so it picks up whatever you bounce off of it.

But, yes, you eat it in clumps, just not too large of one. The last little bits of rice that stick to your bowl can be picked off individually, have tea poured over them and drunk, or ignored. If you're eating rice with something soupy, you can get a spoon to help with the looser, wetter rice.

Note for others: NERVUN describes Japanese etiquette. Etiquette varies from culture to culture.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chopstick#Etiquette

Do you ever devise meals that are deliberately difficult to eat with chopsticks just for the entertainment?

Biscuits and Gravy with chopsticks is fun. As is Jell-o and macaroni and cheese. :)

Biscuits and gravy, no problem - use the sticks to tear apart the biscuits. Mac and cheese, excellent. Jell-o would depend.

Please tell me your joking. Jelly and macaroni cheese? Come on, biscuits and gravy well that all depends what a biscuit is for you guys it may be plausible.

Biscuits are similar to a scone, but not sweet, and fluffier. But gelatin, mac, and cheese is not a Southern dish.

I actually have several pairs, plus a ton of the plastic ones, plus the cheapo wooden ones that come wrapped in plastic. I use them to eat Asian food. Yes, even at home.

Depends on how you cook it.

And besides, I wasn't aware there were rice paddies in France. Western rice?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice#Europe

funny you mention France because that's one of the places rice was introduced to Europe. though 2/3's is grown in Italy now. I think the other 1/3 is Spain and France

Na na, you shovel once you've exhausted the stickiness. You can usually form a little ball with the chopsticks and pick it up no problem...but after a while, the lose rice gathers in the dish and you need to get it out somehow. Hence the shovelling method.

Deepends on the culture. The shovel is fine in Chinese and Vietnamese culture. NERVUN's covered Japanese. And Koreans use a spoon.

I don't think I'm game enough to try it, well when I am in the south of the US and I see it on a menu then I will order it to taste it, but until then wtf? What flavour is normally used?

I grew up in Texas, part of the South, have travelled all over the South, and have many Southern cookbooks, so I am quite familiar with Souther cuisine. I've never heard of Jell-o, mac, and cheese....

For solid foods, excluding rice. for stuff like that, I'll use a spoon, thank you very much.

This only works if you've got the right kind of rice for it. Most western rice isn't sticky enough to clump properly, so it'll just fall off your sticks. Then you starve to death while staring at a bowl of unsticky rice, a modern day Tantalus tortured by and for your attitudes toward food.

Having eaten a variety of rice with chopsticks, including Bismati, I can safely say, it works.

Deepends on the culture. The shovel is fine in Chinese and Vietnamese culture. NERVUN's covered Japanese. And Koreans use a spoon.
No, it depends on my culture. Unless I'm actually in Korea, China, Vietnam or Japan, I honestly don't care if I 'look' crass to a particular traditionalist whilst eating. They'll generally just forgive me by virture of me not being Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese or Japanese.

No, it depends on my culture. Unless I'm actually in Korea, China, Vietnam or Japan, I honestly don't care if I 'look' crass to a particular traditionalist whilst eating. They'll generally just forgive me by virture of me not being Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese or Japanese.

Sorry, I should have indicated I was speaking in general terms, not specifically addressing you. :)

Why would I use chopsticks when I can use superior eating utensils...such as forks?

Plus, I'm not a fan of the Asian food I've tried, so there's no point in using chopsticks.

Deepends on the culture. The shovel is fine in Chinese and Vietnamese culture. NERVUN's covered Japanese. And Koreans use a spoon.



I grew up in Texas, part of the South, have travelled all over the South, and have many Southern cookbooks, so I am quite familiar with Souther cuisine. I've never heard of Jell-o, mac, and cheese....

the Walmarts in Dallas had pre mixed stuff for it last time i checked. not Id sink that low.

Not QUITE a scone. Scones are a wee bit different than biscuits.

What is the difference between them? The picture looked like a scone

We use the plain flavor. or flavorless.

Alright now I know your shitting me, flavourless jelly your 'aving a laugh.

I hope you are I don't want this to be a repeat of the deep fried ice cream incident (Don't ask)

I grew up in Texas, part of the South, have travelled all over the South, and have many Southern cookbooks, so I am quite familiar with Souther cuisine. I've never heard of Jell-o, mac, and cheese....

Which is why I am do not think it is a common dish. When I enjoyed cooking a lot (still do but don't cook as often now) I would go through some of the cookbooks my mum brought in America some where Southern cookbooks that had old time southern recipes in it. Not once did I see Macaroni cheese and Jello.

I consider myself pretty handing with them. It took me a few months learing how to get the hang of using them, but I really do like using them.

Philistines! ;)

You show me a better way to eat fried rice, I'll listen.

I realize it's different between Chinese and Japanese cultures. I grew up with a lot of Chinese and Vietnamese friends, not a lot of Japanese at my school. When I went to dinner at friends' houses, we shoveled.

Before I moved to Asia from Canada 6 years ago I had no idea how to use chopsticks. the key is to just force your self to use them. Practice practice practice. Now I prefer to use chopsticks.

Only if you're doing cheap knockoff methods.

Apparently all of highly intelligent friends who come from affluent families are really China's version of hicks. Who knew. Or possibly, just possibly, people in different places do things differently.

The shoveling method is considered bad manners in Japan, akin to taking a whole piece of non-bite sized food and shoving it into your mouth all at once.

Then why the hell do they cut rolls into such huge chunks? It drives me nuts! Sashimi I have no problem with, but those goddamn rolls...

I grew up in Texas, part of the South, have travelled all over the South, and have many Southern cookbooks, so I am quite familiar with Souther cuisine. I've never heard of Jell-o, mac, and cheese....

You are obviously an impostor, since a real Texan would never describe it as "past of the South". :p

What is the difference between them? The picture looked like a scone

I hope you are I don't want this to be a repeat of the deep fried ice cream incident (Don't ask)

It's hard to explain. Biscuits are not dense--they should be a little fluffy inside, very buttery, not sweet. Check the ingredients for the difference.

And what's wrong with deep-fried ice cream? Besides, you know, the heart attack 20 years down the line.

Not once did I see Macaroni cheese and Jello.

Do you mean together? I've never seen jello used in mac'n'cheese, though I suppose it's somewhat possible to use gelatin... though why you would, I have no idea. Mac'n'cheese and jello served SEPARATELY though are very common in the South, and pretty much everywhere.

I catch flies with them.

chopsticks should have a hole down the middle so they could double up as a straw *nods*

They're ripe for novelty improvement, a pop-up toothpick might also be useful.

No viable answer for me. I don't cheat a lot, but I'm no pro either. My father in law however used to travel to China for business and is (or was when he was in practice) able to debone a fish with chopsticks. That is where I set the bar for pro.

No viable answer for me. I don't cheat a lot, but I'm no pro either. My father in law however used to travel to China for business and is (or was when he was in practice) able to debone a fish with chopsticks. That is where I set the bar for pro.

Not so hard, you slide a chopstick down the lateral line and lever off the flesh either side, you can then lift the tail up.

Tofu can be tricky, there's a dish called mapo dofu that can be a real pain but then that's why rice is such a good mixer.

Indeed. LOL.
See? I KNEW he'd be the only one to get that.

I actually have several pairs, plus a ton of the plastic ones, plus the cheapo wooden ones that come wrapped in plastic. I use them to eat Asian food. Yes, even at home.
I have my pair of Myrtlewood ones I use in my school mess kit, a lacquered set that gets used on special occasions, the regular Japanese cypress ones my wife and I use for dinner every night (And any other meal) and a set of camping ones. Heck, my infant son has a small pair.

What is the difference between them? The picture looked like a scone
Not NEARLY as sweet. A scone is more of a pastry whereas a biscuit is more bread like. You eat them for dinner or breakfast.

You show me a better way to eat fried rice, I'll listen.

I realize it's different between Chinese and Japanese cultures. I grew up with a lot of Chinese and Vietnamese friends, not a lot of Japanese at my school. When I went to dinner at friends' houses, we shoveled.
Clumps I tell ya! Clumps!

Then why the hell do they cut rolls into such huge chunks? It drives me nuts! Sashimi I have no problem with, but those goddamn rolls...
Um... most sushi rolls are meant to be eaten by hand...

this is Biscuit http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/Runny_hunny.jpg


Although when eaten with gravy they don't normally get honey on them. Also it's not biscuits covered in the kind of gravy you put on mashed potatoes, it's a white gravy usually with chunks of sausage in it. Biscuits and gravy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biscuits_and_gravy)


And trust me you dont know what good food is until you eat Jello and Mac and cheese. *NOTE* Jello is not Jelly. totally different.

Technically "Jello" is a brand name. It's a type of gelatin, usually fruit flavored. Never heard of it being served mixed with mac and cheese though . . .

Ironically, I didn't learn how to use chopsticks the proper way until my teenage years, despite being born and raised in Asia. Not that I'm that old, of course. :p

On another note, I find it pretty fun to teach my North American friends how to use them, although I have to say that only a small minority of people I know aren't very good at eating with chopsticks.

Not so hard, you slide a chopstick down the lateral line and lever off the flesh either side, you can then lift the tail up.

Tofu can be tricky, there's a dish called mapo dofu that can be a real pain but then that's why rice is such a good mixer.

I suppose I'm used to fish with more and harder to remove bones. I ate a lot of pike growing up and trying that by HAND wouldn't get all the bones out.

Clumps I tell ya! Clumps!


Um... most sushi rolls are meant to be eaten by hand...

I can't clump fried rice. Only sticky rice. :(

I do eat them by hand, but you said it was rude to take a piece of something that wasn't bite-sized, and they aren't. Did you mean it's only rude to take it with chopsticks?

I can't clump fried rice. Only sticky rice. :(
Ah, FRIED rice... ya just have to do you best (Though, truth be known, I know a lot of Japanese who tackle the fried rice with forks now-a-days).

I do eat them by hand, but you said it was rude to take a piece of something that wasn't bite-sized, and they aren't. Did you mean it's only rude to take it with chopsticks?
Er, sorry, let me clarify. In Japan, the shovel rice the way you talk about IS AS RUDE as taking a non-bite sized piece of food and cramming it in your mouth is in the West.

In other words, the people you usually see shoveling rice are usually either rough and crude guys, or children, the same sorts you usually see attempting to eat one whole slice of pizza in one go.

These days, it seems to me that this skill is fairly common, but I just watched a white boy completely fail at using chopsticks, and I decided to do a poll. At this particular fast-food joint, they don't hand out any other cutlery, and the person in question ended up wearing his orange chicken. It was amusing.

So? What sort of skills do you have with chopsticks?

I hella suck at eating with chopsticks. Which is a bit of an embarrassment, since I grew up in the Bay Area. And you know, certain skills are expected. Shitty.

Not NEARLY as sweet. A scone is more of a pastry whereas a biscuit is more bread like. You eat them for dinner or breakfast.

It's hard to explain. Biscuits are not dense--they should be a little fluffy inside, very buttery, not sweet. Check the ingredients for the difference.

Yes I think I will but ok, why do I have a feeling that we are talking about the same thing but have a different name for them.

And what's wrong with deep-fried ice cream? Besides, you know, the heart attack 20 years down the line.

Nothing, just back when I was a lot younger I found it hard to believe that you could place ice cream in a boiling vat of oil and expect it not to melt. A bid discussion ensured with my dads friend adamant that there was such a thing, having fallen for a lot of his tricks in a similar vien before I refused to believe him untill the waiter brought some out.

Do you mean together? I've never seen jello used in mac'n'cheese, though I suppose it's somewhat possible to use gelatin... though why you would, I have no idea. Mac'n'cheese and jello served SEPARATELY though are very common in the South, and pretty much everywhere.

Well that's what I thought LG meant together. Served separately I can understand if by separately you mean sperate courses rather than on the same plate.

one hachi no. i need two of them. as far as i know, most people who use them do so in pairs.

Apparently all of highly intelligent friends who come from affluent families are really China's version of hicks.

This sentence makes no sense. I think it's missing a few odds and ends.

No, I am rather inept when using chopsticks. Which is why I use a fork instead of two separate pieces of wood.

can use them but still prefer a fork cant beat having silver service

I'm very good with chopsticks. I actually carry around my own chopsticks. I'm rather picky about the ones I use. And by picky I mean snobbish.

I'm always careful who I invite to a chopstick-only eating establishment. I had a friend ask for a fork at a really nice sushi restaurant once. I just wanted to crawl under the table and vanish.

Yes I think I will but ok, why do I have a feeling that we are talking about the same thing but have a different name for them.
Don't think so, I mean, I've eaten scones before, even some imported from the UK and they are sweeter than biscuits.

In Communist China, chopstick uses you!

I have my pair of Myrtlewood ones I use in my school mess kit, a lacquered set that gets used on special occasions, the regular Japanese cypress ones my wife and I use for dinner every night (And any other meal) and a set of camping ones. Heck, my infant son has a small pair.


My 10 year old has her own Hello Kitty chopsticks. :)

Fairly well; though those lacquered ones with no flat bits I always assumed were for show rather than actual use, as I have never ever managed to pick any food up with them. Even with the bowl to the chin shovelling style.

I am...inept and inelegant with forks and knives. Particularly in tandem. For many, many years now, I cut up all my food prior to eating it. The only time I don't do this is when people are watching me eat and I don't want them to see me being a weirdo. But then I fumble awkwardly with the damn utensils and look like a weirdo anyway.

You are not inept and inelegant when you eat. Liar.

I like the ones with no flat bits (the have flalt bits at the very end near the hand) and pointy ends (i.e. the last few centimeters taper nearly to a point). I think of them as Thai chopsticks, though I'm probably wrong about them being from Thailand. I don't like the ones that are flat where the hands are supposed to go and round at the food end, with blunt tips.

I didn't, mean Jello, Macaroni and Cheese.

I mean Jello as a dish. ANd Macaroni and cheese as a dish.

As for biscuits and gravy:

http://chicagoist.com/attachments/chicagoist_chuck/2006_11_gravy.jpg

The biscuits are usually smothered with a white gravy loaded with sausage meat. It's quite tasty though it's a rich dish that I don't recommend eating on a regular basis unless you really hate your cardiovascular system and want to make it suffer. :p

I'm pretty adept with chopsticks. I use them a lot. My friend and I, during high school, just decided one year that we wanted to get good at using them, and she claimed to have read an article (which I never saw) that said that, in Japan, little kids learn to use chopsticks by practicing picking up marbles with them. So she and I spent the whole year hanging out at her house, transferring marbles from one bowl to another with chopsticks while watching Star Trek reruns and B horror movies on late night tv. Now I can pretty much do anything I want to with them. I even made myself an extra long steel set of chopsticks to use to pick clinkers out of the coal fire those two years I spent demoing blacksmithing at Shelburne Museum.

However, I have never been able to do what my mom claims to have witnessed while working as a secretary at Nippon Electric Corp in NYC during the 1960s. One of the other secretaries, who was among the staff transferred over from Japan, would sit at her desk, doing various tasks, while snacking on a whole, peeled, boiled egg held (not pierced) in chopsticks. She would take a bite, talk on the phone, do something else, take another bite, etc, all while holding this boiled egg aloft in chopsticks. Show-off bitch.

I didn't, mean Jello, Macaroni and Cheese.

I mean Jello as a dish. ANd Macaroni and cheese as a dish.

As for biscuits and gravy:

http://chicagoist.com/attachments/chicagoist_chuck/2006_11_gravy.jpg

The biscuits are usually smothered with a white gravy loaded with sausage meat. It's quite tasty though it's a rich dish that I don't recommend eating on a regular basis unless you really hate your cardiovascular system and want to make it suffer. :p
That does not look like food. Or maybe, it looks like it used to be food.

That does not look like food. Or maybe, it looks like it used to be food.

It's clown food

It's clown food

This is clown food:

http://static.flickr.com/13/19846529_0e8ed20723.jpg

This is clown food:

http://static.flickr.com/13/19846529_0e8ed20723.jpg

That is food made from clowns

That is food made from clowns

:eek:

:(

:eek:

:(

It is the hard economic reality of the credit crunch in Britain.

I even made myself an extra long steel set of chopsticks to use to pick clinkers out of the coal fire those two years I spent demoing blacksmithing at Shelburne Museum.

You can do blacksmithing? That's awesome!

Make me a sword!

Sorry, I should have indicated I was speaking in general terms, not specifically addressing you. :)

And I would have indicated that I'm an uppity bitch except I think you already know that :eek:

Er, sorry, let me clarify. In Japan, the shovel rice the way you talk about IS AS RUDE as taking a non-bite sized piece of food and cramming it in your mouth is in the West.

In other words, the people you usually see shoveling rice are usually either rough and crude guys, or children, the same sorts you usually see attempting to eat one whole slice of pizza in one go.

Ohhhh, okay. So how does one tackle the problem of overly large slices of roll properly? Is it okay to take bites from them?

This sentence makes no sense. I think it's missing a few odds and ends.

It's missing a "my". If the accidental omission of two letters leaves you unable to decipher any meaning from it, you're either being bitchy, slow, or both.

-deliciousness-
You're making me drool. Keep it up.
I'm really missing living just outside Hicksville, VA. There was this little greasy spoon place, and the things they could do with pork were incredible . . .
That is food made from clowns
At least they're not too upset about it. I mean, if you can't laugh, what can you do?

You are not inept and inelegant when you eat. Liar.

You're biased. 'Sides you were totally just staring at my boobs anyway, like you'd notice.

You're biased. 'Sides you were totally just staring at my boobs anyway, like you'd notice.

When I wasn't staring at all that freaking meat on my plate, I was staring at the "meat" on your "plate", yes.

But you're still elegant and apt. And a liar.

You can do blacksmithing? That's awesome!

Make me a sword!
I can only make candleholders, nails, s-hooks, and relicas of the human skeleton. I could make you a femur to bash heads with. :)

It is the hard economic reality of the credit crunch in Britain.

I bet it doesn't sell well due to the funny taste. :)

the Walmarts in Dallas had pre mixed stuff for it last time i checked. not Id sink that low.

Very strange...

What is the difference between them? The picture looked like a scone

Scones are deffinately sweeter. Biscuits aren't sweet in and of themselves, but might be served with something sweet. Also, at least in my experience, scones tend to be denser - biscuits are supposed to be light, fluffy, and flakey.

Which is why I am do not think it is a common dish. When I enjoyed cooking a lot (still do but don't cook as often now) I would go through some of the cookbooks my mum brought in America some where Southern cookbooks that had old time southern recipes in it. Not once did I see Macaroni cheese and Jello.

You are obviously an impostor, since a real Texan would never describe it as "past of the South". :p

:::Goes off to Kansai airport to find the locker I left my dueling pistols in:::

Not so hard, you slide a chopstick down the lateral line and lever off the flesh either side, you can then lift the tail up.

Indeed so. I'm actually not a big fish eater, but that's the way it's done.

Tofu can be tricky, there's a dish called mapo dofu that can be a real pain but then that's why rice is such a good mixer.

Tofu's tricky indeed. Tofu and single grains of rice would be the two standard sticks I'd measure chopstick skill by.

Mapo dofu's usually done with a Chinese spoon in my experience.

See? I KNEW he'd be the only one to get that.

To let the rest of you in on this little joke, NERVUN's reaction stems from the Japnese pencent for looking at an obvious non Japanese doing something naively though of as special to Japan and commenting that one does it well. "Wow! You can eat with chopsticks!" or "You use chopsticks well!" are some common annoying phrases that we hear often here.

can use them but still prefer a fork cant beat having silver service

Then get some silver Korean chopsticks. :D

I didn't, mean Jello, Macaroni and Cheese.

I mean Jello as a dish. ANd Macaroni and cheese as a dish.

Heh. I was wondering if that was what you meant, but with the grammar of the sentence, the context (foods to eat with chopsticks), and you being you, I went with the other.

And I would have indicated that I'm an uppity bitch except I think you already know that :eek:

:D

I bet it doesn't sell well due to the funny taste. :)

Bad, LG, bad.

I kick ass with chopsticks. Of course, after a while of using them my stupid fingers start cramping and the chopsticks go plop!, to the floor, or the table. And either my rice or my sushi get ruined.:(

I'm a college student, and I own a set of lacquered wooden chopsticks.

*heads off to the local sushi restaurant*

I'm so good with chopsticks, i can throw a grain of rice in the air and catch it with chopsticks on the way down - blindfolded.

I can only make candleholders, nails, s-hooks, and relicas of the human skeleton. I could make you a femur to bash heads with. :)

...is it weird that I actually think that would be kinda awesome? :tongue:

You're making me drool. Keep it up.
I'm really missing living just outside Hicksville, VA. There was this little greasy spoon place, and the things they could do with pork were incredible . .

Have you ever eaten at the Waffle House? Their hash browns with everything on em are awesome. I've eaten there numerous times when I was in the navy; usually at 2:00 am when the bars closed. I do have one question though: Do they make waffles? I don't know anybody who has actually ordered waffles from the Waffle House.

...is it weird that I actually think that would be kinda awesome? :tongue:

No, because it would be so completely fucking awesome. :D

Considering I used chopsticks for a majority of my meals throughout my life, I hope I'm fairly good at them.

Tofu's tricky indeed. Tofu and single grains of rice would be the two standard sticks I'd measure chopstick skill by.

No way! Chopstick skill is measured by the ability to pick up those really small tomatoes without having to puncture them.

Have you ever eaten at the Waffle House? Their hash browns with everything on em are awesome. I've eaten there numerous times when I was in the navy; usually at 2:00 am when the bars closed. I do have one question though: Do they make waffles? I don't know anybody who has actually ordered waffles from the Waffle House.

I have. They are not bad. But the hash browns with everything are better.

Sometimes I have to get a spoon, but generally I'mfine choptick-wise. It's just rice that occasionally gives me bother.

I spent five weeks in Japan in 1990. It many places I ate, it was either chopsticks or hands. I learned quickly. I've never had excellent manual dexterity, but I do well enough.

That does not look like food. Or maybe, it looks like it used to be food.

It doesn't taste like food, either. Or rather, it tastes like maybe it used to be food...

(not one of the elements of (Southern?) American cuisine that translates well to an Englishman's palate).

Have you ever eaten at the Waffle House? Their hash browns with everything on em are awesome. I've eaten there numerous times when I was in the navy; usually at 2:00 am when the bars closed. I do have one question though: Do they make waffles? I don't know anybody who has actually ordered waffles from the Waffle House.

Yeah, me and my daughter used to make a point of hitting Waffle House at least once a week for a waffles-with-blueberries-and-cream date. Not bad, at all.

Chop sticks are no problem. Once you get the idea that more pressure doesn't always equal better grip on the food you're most of the way there.

For many years I used chopsticks in a way that was functional, yet still got me laughed at when I'd eat at the home of an Asian friend... So I had to up the ante a bit and learn the right way.

It doesn't taste like food, either. Or rather, it tastes like maybe it used to be food...

You got a bad batch.

You got a bad batch.

Not convinced. I've tried it several places, and my mother-in-law occassionally decides I might have spontaneously decided it doesn't taste like crap, and tries to feed it to me...

Biscuit and gravy is bad, but at least it's not grits.

(For those who have been lucky enough to never try grits, but are curious as to what it might taste like - I've heard it described as a mouthful of sandy ejaculate, or a popcorn-flavoured sneeze.)

I could probably take on Danny LaRusso (the eponymous Karate Kid) in the "grabbing the fly with chopsticks" bet. I don't know if I'd win, but I'd last a while*.

*Even if all I do is wave my chopsticks at the fly to make it flee.

/me used chopsticks this afternoon at lunch mmm bento box combo #4 (chicken terriyaki, spicy salmon, veg tempura, salad, miso, and the list goes on)

Why would I use chopsticks when I can use superior eating utensils...such as forks?

Plus, I'm not a fan of the Asian food I've tried, so there's no point in using chopsticks.
Try spearing a dumpling -- which will generally tear and fall apart on a fork -- then try picking it up with chopsticks.

Try spearing a dumpling -- which will generally tear and fall apart on a fork -- then try picking it up with chopsticks.

Kat I can say that I've gotten dumplings easily with forks ;). Big stuff it's nicer to use a fork and knife to cut them up small (I don't like chomping at big pieces on my chop sticks/forks).

I'm pretty adept with chopsticks. I use them a lot. My friend and I, during high school, just decided one year that we wanted to get good at using them, and she claimed to have read an article (which I never saw) that said that, in Japan, little kids learn to use chopsticks by practicing picking up marbles with them.
I've never seen the marble one myself, but my kids have had to practice moving beans from one bowl to another at school. The proper use of chopsticks is one of those major issues that gets talked about a lot in Japan as a sign that Japanese society is going to hell. :wink:

However, I have never been able to do what my mom claims to have witnessed while working as a secretary at Nippon Electric Corp in NYC during the 1960s. One of the other secretaries, who was among the staff transferred over from Japan, would sit at her desk, doing various tasks, while snacking on a whole, peeled, boiled egg held (not pierced) in chopsticks. She would take a bite, talk on the phone, do something else, take another bite, etc, all while holding this boiled egg aloft in chopsticks. Show-off bitch.
Hardboiled? I can do that, of course that might be from the fact that my mother-in-law is convinced that hardboiled eggs are the best thing since sliced bread and that, as an American, for some reason I'm supposed to like them. Every time I visit my wife's home I get plenty of practice.

Ohhhh, okay. So how does one tackle the problem of overly large slices of roll properly? Is it okay to take bites from them?
Yup.

To let the rest of you in on this little joke, NERVUN's reaction stems from the Japnese pencent for looking at an obvious non Japanese doing something naively though of as special to Japan and commenting that one does it well. "Wow! You can eat with chopsticks!" or "You use chopsticks well!" are some common annoying phrases that we hear often here.
And of course, that wonderful question that just about every foreigner gets the first time they eat with the Japanese, "Can you use chopsticks?" To be fair, most Japanese get the idea that Westerners ONLY use knives and forks, the same way Westerners seem to think that Chinese and Japanese ONLY eat with chopsticks, and most of the time the question is meant more as a conversation opener than anything else, but when you're getting asked this for the 100th time...

No way! Chopstick skill is measured by the ability to pick up those really small tomatoes without having to puncture them.
Indeed, if I take it slowly, I can do it, but I usually just end up chasing the cherry tomatoes around my plate. Usually I invoke the American's privilege, (AKA, In America, we...) and just pick the damn things up with my fingers. :p

Why would I use chopsticks when I can use superior eating utensils...such as forks?

Plus, I'm not a fan of the Asian food I've tried, so there's no point in using chopsticks.

When did anyone say anything about chopsticks being superior? Do you take douchebag lessons or are you just naturally abrasive?

Perhaps folks in the US wouldn't be so damned fat if our utensils didn't resemble shovels...just a thought.

To freak people out, you should use them to eat your burger and fries. *nods*

They'd be PERFECT for pasta...I wonder if Antonio at Dino's would kick my ass for that though.

If he tries, come back with the origin of pasta. Asian, y'know.

I don't use chopsticks for food that is so sumptuously and perfectly meant to be eaten with your fingers.

Wait -- sushi is SUPPOSED to be eaten with your fingers?! Here I've been looking like a jackass trying to ha-shi them. :headbang:

Wait -- sushi is SUPPOSED to be eaten with your fingers?! Here I've been looking like a jackass trying to ha-shi them. :headbang:
It depends upon the type of sushi and the setting of where you are eating.

It depends upon the type of sushi and the setting of where you are eating.

Okay...I need a guide on this. Anyone know a Web site? If it's a rice-bound roll, do I use 'em and if it's seaweed-bound, I don't? Sashimi? Fish-on-top? WHAT?!?

It depends upon the type of sushi and the setting of where you are eating.

???

I've eaten many types of sushi in multiple settings and I've never seen anyone on it with their hands, just the chopsticks.

I'm not a pro, but I'm not terrible either. I've gotten lots of practice, mainly because i love sushi. I consider myself an adept at least.

It's missing a "my". If the accidental omission of two letters leaves you unable to decipher any meaning from it, you're either being bitchy, slow, or both.

Given the context, it's more than just "my" that's missing. Unless he means that all of his friends are highly intelligent, and can use chopsticks and are Chinese equivalent "hicks".

Okay...I need a guide on this. Anyone know a Web site? If it's a rice-bound roll, do I use 'em and if it's seaweed-bound, I don't? Sashimi? Fish-on-top? WHAT?!?
Alright, in general, sashimi (Just the raw fish [technically not sushi]) should ONLY be eaten with chopsticks. Nigiri-zushi should be eaten by hand, Maki and Temaki-zushi can be eaten by hand (I've been told two different things depending if I'm in Tokyo or in Western Japan), inari-zushi, and chirashi-zushi, chopsticks only.

This is assuming of course you're at a sushi bar or are getting individual sushi served to you directly. If you're at a party where there is a communal sushi plate, chopsticks only! It's rude to touch shared food with your hands.

???

I've eaten many types of sushi in multiple settings and I've never seen anyone on it with their hands, just the chopsticks.
Have you eaten often in Japan?

I didn't, mean Jello, Macaroni and Cheese.

I mean Jello as a dish. ANd Macaroni and cheese as a dish.

As for biscuits and gravy:

http://chicagoist.com/attachments/chicagoist_chuck/2006_11_gravy.jpg

The biscuits are usually smothered with a white gravy loaded with sausage meat. It's quite tasty though it's a rich dish that I don't recommend eating on a regular basis unless you really hate your cardiovascular system and want to make it suffer. :p

Oh ok I thought you meant together. As for gravy and biscuits, Yeah but nah I think I will pass on that, it doesn't look appealing at all, though I might try one just to say that I have.

Don't think so, I mean, I've eaten scones before, even some imported from the UK and they are sweeter than biscuits.

Ok, fair enough who knows but thanks for explaining what was meant by a biscuit.

I'm not a pro, but I'm not terrible either. I've gotten lots of practice, mainly because i love sushi. I consider myself an adept at least.

you know they even have a hand rolls which you have to eat by hand. wow. I don't think you've eaten at any good places.

Wait -- sushi is SUPPOSED to be eaten with your fingers?! Here I've been looking like a jackass trying to ha-shi them. :headbang:

I love eating with my fingers. I'm just like that. Sushi seems absolutely perfect for finger eating...I can eat it with chopsticks, but it seems to be an unecessary step. I'm okay with looking like a savage...but no one has every given me shit for eating sushi with my fingers except for white people :D

???

I've eaten many types of sushi in multiple settings and I've never seen anyone on it with their hands, just the chopsticks.

Do you hang out in pretentious sushi bars with those fake Japanese tables that actually just let you sit like you do at a normal table, peopled by business men and women on their lunch breaks?

Cuz I eat at the good sushi places. The mom and pop places in the chinatown malls :D

Sashimi I only eat with chopsticks cuz I don't want to warm it with my fingers...I don't go for the rolls usually except for the spicey octopus.

I'm pretty good with them. They're amazing for noodles and generally anything that's bite sized. Rice can be a pain if you're eating with people who don't appreciate the lifting the bowl to the mouth and shoveling method (i.e. parents).

Here, this is a pretty good run down on what to do: http://www.trevorcorson.com/sushi/eat.html

And for those who want a really GOOD how to:
http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=bDL8yu34fz0

Alright, in general, sashimi (Just the raw fish [technically not sushi]) should ONLY be eaten with chopsticks. Nigiri-zushi should be eaten by hand, Maki and Temaki-zushi can be eaten by hand (I've been told two different things depending if I'm in Tokyo or in Western Japan), inari-zushi, and chirashi-zushi, chopsticks only.

This is assuming of course you're at a sushi bar or are getting individual sushi served to you directly. If you're at a party where there is a communal sushi plate, chopsticks only! It's rude to touch shared food with your hands.

Have you eaten often in Japan?

I love that you know the proper names. I don't. That's why I said things like "rice-bound" and "seaweed-bound" and "fish sitting on top of rice". Can you please try again with either a key for the Nihongo that I'm not or using my more English-descriptive terminology? I'd love to know what you meant and be able to use the advice.

I still don't know if I look like a moron at my local sushi place if I use chopsticks for everything.

I love eating with my fingers. I'm just like that. Sushi seems absolutely perfect for finger eating...I can eat it with chopsticks, but it seems to be an unecessary step. I'm okay with looking like a savage...but no one has every given me shit for eating sushi with my fingers except for white people :D

I use my fingers when I buy the little box of freshly prepared sushi at my local Whole Foods clone (Huckleberry's in Spokane), so I know what you mean. Of course, I can't think of a better way than eating it off the body of a lovely woman such as yourself. You could reprimand me afterward for any table-side gaffes!

I love that you know the proper names. I don't. That's why I said things like "rice-bound" and "seaweed-bound" and "fish sitting on top of rice". Can you please try again with either a key for the Nihongo that I'm not or using my more English-descriptive terminology? I'd love to know what you meant and be able to use the advice.

I still don't know if I look like a moron at my local sushi place if I use chopsticks for everything.
*lol* Ok, ok. Sorry, when you have to use the proper names for things (Saying seaweed-bound would confuse the hell out of the chef as he probably DOESN'T speak English), you forget to use the descriptives. So, once again:

Alright, in general, sashimi (Just slices of raw fish [technically not sushi]) should ONLY be eaten with chopsticks. Nigiri-zushi (These are the molded rice fingers with slices of fish or shell fish on top) should be eaten by hand, as they are made loosely packed and should be dipped fish first into the soy sauce. Using the fingers allows an eater to do that without destroying the sushi. Maki (seaweed bound rolls) and Temaki-zushi (Hand rolls, kinda look like a seaweed ice cream cone) can be eaten by hand (I've been told two different things depending if I'm in Tokyo or in Western Japan, don't ask me which is which, I actually dislike nori [seaweed] so I usually ignore it), inari-zushi (Fried tofu pouches with sushi rice in it, they kinda look like small orange pillows), and chirashi-zushi (Sushi rice with veggies, no fish and served in a bowl), chopsticks only.

This is assuming of course you're at a sushi bar or are getting individual sushi served to you directly. If you're at a party where there is a communal sushi plate, chopsticks only! It's rude to touch shared food with your hands.

How's that?

Here, this is a pretty good run down on what to do: http://www.trevorcorson.com/sushi/eat.html

Very helpful. I was so screwed with the Gari (ginger). I thought it went WITH the damned fish. I feel SOOOO STOOOOOPIIIID! But I have been corrected. I also know that nigiri is the loose-packed, fish-topped rice. Cool!

And for those who want a really GOOD how to:
http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=bDL8yu34fz0

THAT was bleeding HILARIOUS. "That is why Japanese people's feet often smell of vinegar". LOVE Japanese satire (when I know what it's on about).

Not convinced. I've tried it several places, and my mother-in-law occassionally decides I might have spontaneously decided it doesn't taste like crap, and tries to feed it to me...

Biscuit and gravy is bad, but at least it's not grits.

(For those who have been lucky enough to never try grits, but are curious as to what it might taste like - I've heard it described as a mouthful of sandy ejaculate, or a popcorn-flavoured sneeze.)

Biscuits and gravy freakin rocks. Chicken and biscuits with mashed potatoes and gravy rocks even harder.

Grits are nasty from the get-go. And then they get cold. :(

*snip rules from credible source*

Whew! Okay, I feel better, I have been doing it right most of the time.

God, now I really want some hamachi. :(

*lol* Ok, ok. Sorry, when you have to use the proper names for things (Saying seaweed-bound would confuse the hell out of the chef as he probably DOESN'T speak English), you forget to use the descriptives. So, once again:

Alright, in general, sashimi (Just slices of raw fish [technically not sushi]) should ONLY be eaten with chopsticks. Nigiri-zushi (These are the molded rice fingers with slices of fish or shell fish on top) should be eaten by hand, as they are made loosely packed and should be dipped fish first into the soy sauce. Using the fingers allows an eater to do that without destroying the sushi. Maki (seaweed bound rolls) and Temaki-zushi (Hand rolls, kinda look like a seaweed ice cream cone) can be eaten by hand (I've been told two different things depending if I'm in Tokyo or in Western Japan, don't ask me which is which, I actually dislike nori [seaweed] so I usually ignore it), inari-zushi (Fried tofu pouches with sushi rice in it, they kinda look like small orange pillows), and chirashi-zushi (Sushi rice with veggies, no fish and served in a bowl), chopsticks only.

This is assuming of course you're at a sushi bar or are getting individual sushi served to you directly. If you're at a party where there is a communal sushi plate, chopsticks only! It's rude to touch shared food with your hands.

How's that?

THANK YOU! :fluffle:

Biscuit and gravy is bad, but at least it's not grits.

(For those who have been lucky enough to never try grits, but are curious as to what it might taste like - I've heard it described as a mouthful of sandy ejaculate, or a popcorn-flavoured sneeze.)

:eek::mad: Whomever described grits thusly had rocks for brains.

"An inexpensive, simple, and thoroughly digestible food, [grits] should be made popular throughout the world. Given enough of it, the inhabitants of planet Earth would have nothing to fight about. A man full of [grits] is a man of peace."
http://www.scstatehouse.net/sess113_1999-2000/bills/4806.htm

Biscuits and gravy freakin rocks. Chicken and biscuits with mashed potatoes and gravy rocks even harder.

Grits are nasty from the get-go. And then they get cold. :(

Cold grits means they're just right for frying. If ya'll ain't had fried grits (http://www.grits.com/Real-Fried-Grits.html), ya'll ain't 'et.

Wait...grits is basically just coarse ground corn meal?

Fack, I've been eating that since I was a baby. All this time I thought it resembled rabbit food (http://hearth.com/econtent/images/uploads/Medien_Pellets_gross.jpg) or something.

You stole that shit from the Indians.

Wait...grits is basically just coarse ground corn meal?

Pretty much.

Fack, I've been eating that since I was a baby. All this time I thought it resembled rabbit food (http://hearth.com/econtent/images/uploads/Medien_Pellets_gross.jpg) or something.

You stole that shit from the Indians.

Indian cuisine has a lot of influance on Southern cuisine, and that's common knowledge, at least where I come from.

Evolution of Southern cuisine

One of the most important occurrences in this period was the interaction with the people of the area and borrowing from Native American cuisine. From this interaction came one of the main staples of the Southern diet: corn (maize), either ground into meal or limed with an alkaline salt to make hominy, also called masa, in a Native American technology known as nixtamalization.[3] Corn was an essential and versatile crop for the early settlers. Corn was used to make all kinds of dishes from the familiar cornbread and grits to liquors such as whiskey and moonshine, which were important trade items.

Though a lesser staple, potatoes were also adopted from Native American cuisine and were used in many similar ways as corn.

Native Americans introduced the first Southerners to many other vegetables still familiar on southern tables. Squash, pumpkin, many types of beans, tomatoes (though these were initially considered poisonous), many types of peppers and sassafras all came to the settlers via the native tribes.

Many fruits are available in this region. Muscadines, blackberries, raspberries, and many other wild berries were part of settlers’ diets.

Early settlers also supplemented their diets with meats derived from the hunting of native game. Venison was an important meat staple due to the abundance of white-tailed deer in the area. Settlers also hunted rabbits, squirrels, opossums, and raccoons, all of which were pests to the crops they raised. Livestock in the form of hogs and cattle were kept. When game or livestock was killed, the entire animal was used. Aside from the meat, it was not uncommon for settlers to eat organ meats such as liver, brains and intestines. This tradition remains today in hallmark dishes like chitterlings (commonly called chit’lins) which are fried large intestines of hogs, livermush (a common dish in the Carolinas made from hog liver), and pork brains and eggs. The fat of the animals, particularly hogs, was rendered and used for cooking and frying.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuisine_of_the_Southern_United_States#Evolution_of_Southern_cuisine

Have you had corn smut?

Oooh I want to try corn smut.

I think southern cooking is like Rez cooking and I could really dig it. Send me a southern man who can cook plzthanx.

No. Thank you for another talent you've denied me, Dyspraxia.

Have you had corn smut?

Oooh I want to try corn smut.

I think southern cooking is like Rez cooking and I could really dig it. Send me a southern man who can cook plzthanx.

Nope haven't had "Mexican Corn Truffle" (http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/huitlacoche.htm) - yet. May have to bug my little bro now living in the Iowa corn country....

I can cook and I have been tempted to move to Canada. If the current US election goes wrong, well BC's got a "Billion Chinese" to soothe my tastes...

My roommate uses them a lot. Not sure why.

I think he thinks he's Asian.

I can use them, but I don't.

That's only those damn Guineas, damn them and their rich body language.

It's a little known fact that Italian is actually a sign language with sounds being made only to accentuate what is being said with the hands. The sounds by themselves mean nothing.

The biscuits are usually smothered with a white gravy loaded with sausage meat. It's quite tasty though it's a rich dish that I don't recommend eating on a regular basis unless you really hate your cardiovascular system and want to make it suffer. :p

I love biscuits and gravy, it's one of the few Southern dishes I'm glad the Army uses on a regular basis.

Grits on the other hand are fucking nasty. I'll take oatmeal any day over grits.

As for chopsticks I'm a pro. I've always had an easy time with them. As for knives and forks I wasn't taught any sort of etiquette growing up (poor farmers and all). When I was stationed in Germany I learned the European style of eating and have used that ever since, despite it getting me odd looks.

My roommate uses them a lot. Not sure why.

I think he thinks he's Asian.

I can use them, but I don't.

Cuz yer white?

Grits on the other hand are fucking nasty. I'll take oatmeal any day over grits.

Why all the hate on grits? It makes me sad. :(

I'm not great, but I don't ever find myself having to cheat when using them.

I'm fantastic with them. Spending a lot of time in China will do that to a person.

I can stack them end-to-end over eight feet high.

I can juggle a dozen chopsticks at once.

I can give precise directions to where the tree[s] the chopsticks were made from existed.

I fought off Nobunaga's army singelhandedly wielding only a pair of chopsticks.

But I can't eat food with them.

My father insisted that I learn to use chopsticks along with regular silverware. He even got me my own set - bright red lacquer. I not only learned to eat with them, he used them to teach me to knit.

Nope haven't had "Mexican Corn Truffle" (http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/huitlacoche.htm) - yet. May have to bug my little bro now living in the Iowa corn country....

Maybe this will save you the "joy" of trying it . . .
http://www.thesneeze.com/mt-archives/000344.php