Presentations by 2001 -> 2002 ICC Classes

ICC class period 5 Thursday

Topic: Chopsticks

Chopsticks in the world

The style of the way to eat in all over the world is divided into four. "chopsticks", "knife, fork and spoon" , "spoon and chopsticks; and spoon and fork" and "hand".
South East Asia, Middle East, Africa, Hindu and Muslim are "hands" area. China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and so on are "chopsticks" area. Europe, South and North America and Russia which are living on meats and bread are "knife, fork and spoon" area. And "spoon and chopsticks" area are Thailand and Vietnam.
Chopsticks are used in the place which were under the influence of Chinese culture. The countries which are using chopsticks as main tool to eat are China, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam and Singapore. And chopsticks are also used as subordinate tool to spoon in Cambodia and Thailand which are influenced by Indian culture strongly.
In Thailand and Vietnam, They eat meal by using spoon and fork mainly. Fork is used for pushing food onto the spoon. And Chinese spoon and chopsticks are used to eat noodles in soup.
In case of nomads, they put chopsticks in the case with knife, and they always carry this. This chopsticks are made of silver which is called " search the poison" or its tip is rolled in silver. These are used for the foods which are too hot to touch and noodles. And knife is used for the way which people cut the meat and bring them to their mouth.
And next is China's case. Chopsticks in China are longer than Japan's one and has almost same thickness from tip to tip. They use chopsticks to eat rice and foods, and they use chinese spoon to eat soup.
In South Korea, chopsticks are used with a flat spoon with long grip. Chopsticks are used to pick some food which are on the table to their plate. And they eat rice and food with using a spoon. These chopsticks are made by metal. And its role is a supporting role.
In China and Korea, there are no chopsticks which are for pick up something from big dish to their own dish, and they use their own chopsticks to pick food. It is a manner that the master picks some food for his guest with his own chopsticks. This shows that the guest is understood as close friend by that family or him.
In contrast, in Japan, they hate that kind of way to pick up some food. There are chopsticks which are only for pick up some food from big dish to their own dish. They don't touch other people's foods and don't use other people's chopsticks and dishes.
The chopsticks of Japan has developed in their own way by the Japanese culture which are rice and woods in "chopsticks area". And it became a pure culture which use only chopsticks to eat.

Michiko

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