Hello, dear readers– seekers of knowledge and truth!
IN lately Japanese cuisine has gained enormous popularity in Russia. Probably each of us has tried rolls, sushi, and sashimi at least once. You've probably wondered: why do the Japanese eat with chopsticks and not with forks or hands, for example?
The answer to this question is in today's article.
Together we will find out what chopsticks are called in the Land of the Rising Sun, when and where they came here from, why they are so loved and not abandoned in favor of traditional European cutlery. The article will also tell you what they are and how to choose them correctly from the whole variety.
And at the end we will conduct a short master class and learn how to hold instruments in your hand like a real Japanese.
Sticks in the past and now
The history of feast sticks goes back more than three thousand years. They were invented by the Chinese (you can read more about this), and later people liked the invention so much that it became popular not only in the Middle Kingdom. Today it is used everywhere in Asia, namely in its eastern part: in the Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Korean states.
In Thailand, chopsticks are used only when serving noodles and soup.
Initially, they looked like tongs, which were very useful for cooks and housewives when cooking. The technique for making such tongs was extremely simple: the bamboo stem was divided in two, and one part was bent in half. Using a simple device, they stirred the food, took out pieces for testing, and put them in portions for serving.
Their length was strictly 38-39 centimeters. For food, a shortened, 25-centimeter version was used.
Chopsticks came from the Middle Kingdom to Japan during the Yayoi period, at the junction of the last and our eras. Here they got proper name– hasi. Khasi of the usual type for us - thin, double - appeared in the 7th century and could only be used by the upper class. They spread to the entire population only a century later, during the Nara period.
It is interesting that chopsticks were also used in fighting skills: in the hands of a real fighter who knows how to throw a weapon correctly, they are capable of destroying solid objects.
Japanese cuisine of our time is unique, and the ingredients in dishes are usually chopped finely, because here everything is eaten with hashi: rice, noodles, sashimi, and numerous snacks. Even soup is eaten in a special way: the broth is drunk from bowls, and the remaining ingredients are taken out with chopsticks.
Every year the Japanese use more than 25 billion pairs of hashi. Rough calculations show that this is almost two hundred devices per capita. It is curious that wood is mainly purchased from China and Russia, and 9 out of 10 sets of sticks are made in China.
Reasons for loving chopsticks
Three thousand years have passed, progress has stepped far forward, and the Japanese still eat with chopsticks. They themselves claim: it is impossible not to love Khasi, because this is the path to health, slimness, intelligence, and manual dexterity. Indeed, the Japanese have many reasons to use this particular cutlery:
- Tribute to the past
The use of hashi, especially bamboo, takes the conservative inhabitants of Japan back several centuries to their ancestors. This way they can follow the traditions of their ancestors even in the culture of eating food, which, by the way, has also changed little over the years.
- Convenience
Chopsticks take up much less space than regular cutlery. Their production costs less, and natural materials are used. The Japanese say that wooden sticks do not change the taste properties of food, as metal does, but on the contrary, they give it even more taste.
- Benefit
When a person eats with chopsticks, he cannot take more than he can swallow. He eats more slowly, in small pieces, chews thoroughly and as a result becomes full faster. Perhaps this is the secret of Japanese slimness.
- Health
Asian doctors, after conducting a series of studies, came to an amazing conclusion: while eating, Khashi massage their hands, thereby influencing four dozen important points of the human body.
Other observations have shown that babies who early years learned to eat hashi rather than with a spoon, develop faster and show better mental abilities than their peers.
- Great gift
Khasis are loved so much that they are very happy to accept them as a gift. Eat special types for tea ceremonies, New Year, weddings, birthdays. In each case, the presentation of khasi is very symbolic - it promises success and longevity.
New couples are given a beautiful set of hashi so that they are not separated, like a pair of chopsticks. On the hundredth day after birth, the baby is given a ceremony for the first taste of rice and given symbolic hashi.
In addition, the market is replete with special sets for the whole family. So if you don’t know what to give to a lover of the East, this will be a wonderful present.
Types of Khasi
Today, chopstick manufacturers in Japan, when thinking through the design of a product, use all their imagination: they are painted, made into patterns, small carvings, varnished, and sprayed. The cut sticks can be round or square, and their tips can be in the form of a cone or pyramid, sharp or not very sharp.
The quality of hashi depends on what it is made from. Yes, they are made from different materials:
- bamboo;
- cypress;
- maple;
- sandalwood;
- plums;
- bones;
- metal;
- plastic.
Tea guru Sen No Rikyu, of Japanese origin, made his own type of hashi. There is a small legend associated with him. One day, at dawn, the master went into the forest to get firewood. He wanted to enjoy the unique woody smell, and began to clean pieces of wood - this is how his sticks appeared.
Holding the chopsticks correctly
Before traveling to the Land of the Rising Sun, it would be a good idea to learn how to hold hashi in your hand and practice, because in some places, using a spoon, fork and knife can offend the feelings of others, and especially the cook.
Rules for using chopsticks:
- The ring and little fingers are pressed together, the index and middle fingers lie in front.
- The lower hashi is installed in the recess formed by the brush and thumb.
- Another hashi is taken from above: on the tip of the middle finger, the base of the index finger, it is held with the thumb - similar to the movement when you need to take a pencil.
- The bottom stick doesn't move main secret lies in the correct management of the top.
- The hand should be as relaxed as possible, its position should be natural.
- You need to place chopsticks on special stands - hasioki. If they are not there, place them on the edge of the plate or on the table parallel to the edge.
- Khasi is an intimate thing, so you should not use other people’s utensils, because you can always ask for disposable ones.
- You shouldn’t take the risk of squeezing your hashi in your fist - this is a sign of aggression and threat.
- The special skills of a table virtuoso will help you not only eat with hashi, but also stir food and divide it into pieces.
Conclusion
It’s amazing how many secrets such a seemingly trifle as chopsticks carries, isn’t it? But for the Japanese they are not just a little thing, they are a whole ritual and special rules.
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According to historians, the Chinese began to use chopsticks about 4-5 thousand years ago, and they were used only in the process of cooking - long wooden rods are very convenient for lowering and removing, for example, pieces of meat from pots of boiling water or oil.
Chopsticks became cutlery only around 400–500 AD, and most likely this is due to the rapid growth of the country's population: there was not enough food for everyone, and the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire cut it into small pieces so that dishes could be prepared faster and it would be easier to divide them into larger pieces company. There is no need to cut finely chopped food with a knife, but it is very convenient to take it with chopsticks, which are also extremely easy to make and cheap, so the innovation quickly spread throughout the country.
Some historians attribute the decline in popularity of the knife as a cutlery to the teachings of the sage Kong Tzu, whom the Western world knows as Confucius. The philosopher was a vegetarian and strongly protested against the use of a knife in meals. The following expression is even attributed to him: “Honest and noble man avoids slaughterhouses and kitchens and does not keep a knife on his table.”
The sage's walk had a noticeable influence on his contemporaries, so if Kong Tzu really spoke in this spirit, it certainly raised the “authority” of chopsticks to unattainable heights.
Over the course of several decades, chopsticks spread to neighboring countries - Japan, Korea and Vietnam, and the Japanese initially made them exclusively from bamboo and used them only in religious ceremonies.
During the reign of the great Chinese dynasties, members of aristocratic families ate with silver chopsticks, hoping in this way to avoid poisoning: it was believed that upon contact with toxic substances, silver turns black, but this does not always happen, for example, it does not react in any way to cyanide, arsenic and some others poisons.
Many people wonder why in Asian countries they eat rice with chopsticks, since it is much easier to take it with a spoon. The fact is that in Asia, short-grain rice is most often prepared, which easily sticks together into lumps, and therefore it is quite convenient to eat it with chopsticks.
By the way, some Asian companies that produce microcircuits and electronic devices, before hiring a person, necessarily test his skills in handling chopsticks - this allows you to evaluate the fine motor skills and hand coordination required when assembling products.
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This tradition has spread in Asian countries, east of Thailand, especially in China. In order to find out why the Chinese eat with chopsticks and not spoons, you will have to go back several thousand years.
Archaeologists found the first, very vague, mentions of sticks in excavations whose history goes back about 5,000 years. More specifically, they are described in the Shin era, 3,000 years ago.
In those days, the Chinese, like the rest of humanity, ate with their hands, and chopsticks were first used for cooking. It happened at the suggestion unknown to history the discoverer, who realized that it was much more convenient and safer to take ingredients out of a boiling broth for testing with chopsticks than with your hands.
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At first these were almost half-meter long bamboo sticks, which were later shortened to 25 cm and began to be used for eating. They were made from different materials; archaeologists have come across sticks made of bronze, silver, and ivory. However, wooden ones still remain the most popular, and there are reasons for that.
Philosophical aspect
A huge contribution to the popularization of chopsticks was made by the thinker Confucius, respected by all Chinese, who lived in the 5th and 4th centuries BC. With his input, ordinary cutlery became part of the Zen philosophy, professing vegetarianism and a peaceful way of life.
Following Chinese philosophy, the knife and fork, which were later used by other peoples, are symbols of violence, war and greed. Many residents of the Middle Kingdom still consider everything spicy metal objects weapons. And weapons have no place next to food, which, after many centuries of poverty and hunger, is sacred to the country.
Our time
Modern Chinese, although to a lesser extent, continue to honor traditions. Many people in everyday life have begun to use spoons, forks and knives that are more familiar to us, but on holidays, when the whole family gathers, they always eat with chopsticks. And they do this not only due to historical habit.
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Pay attention to Chinese national dishes. You won't find baked turkey or huge juicy steaks among them. Basically, these are pieces of meat, mushrooms or vegetables finely chopped during cooking, and, of course, rice as a side dish. Such pieces are very convenient to eat with chopsticks, and the Chinese prefer rice that is not crumbly, but slightly sticky, which risks turning into porridge when using a spoon. 
Do the Chinese also eat soups with chopsticks? Imagine, yes. Traditional liquid dishes are served in tall bowls, from which large pieces are caught with chopsticks, and the liquid is simply drunk. Spoons, if served, are made of wood or porcelain. Many Asian peoples are of the opinion that putting metal in your mouth is not entirely good for your teeth. It's hard to argue...
Would you say it would be faster with a spoon? Maybe. But for the Chinese, food is a ritual that cannot be rushed. This is partly the reason for the slender figures of Asian women and the lack of a paunch in men. As you know, the signal of satiety reaches the brain with a delay of 10-15 minutes. Can you imagine how many “extra” spoons and forks we manage to throw into ourselves during this time?
Thus, the reason why the Chinese eat with chopsticks is due to historical traditions and simply because it is convenient and healthy. This method of eating engages many vital points on the hand and stimulates development fine motor skills, which has a positive effect on intelligence. So, next time you go to a Chinese restaurant, don't rush to ask for a fork. Master the science of eating with chopsticks, it will be very helpful when traveling in Asia.
Why eastern peoples eat with chopsticks?
:- Why do the Chinese eat with chopsticks?
- They gnawed the spoons like that.
But seriously:
In China, since ancient times it was believed that the one who makes chopsticks, by definition, cannot be bad. Confucius taught this. His motto: murder tools have no place at the dinner table. Therefore, before starting the meal, food had to be cut into small pieces, and knives were not allowed at the table. At the emperor's court, preference was given to silver chopsticks. It was believed that they would turn black if they came into contact with poisoned food. Ordinary mortals, as a rule, ate with bamboo chopsticks. Wealthier people used appliances made from expensive types of wood - for example, mahogany. High-ranking officials were distinguished by ivory sticks.
At the same time, from time immemorial it was believed that every self-respecting Chinese should have his own personal chopsticks, which should always be with him, preferably throughout his life. Loss of sticks, like breakage, meant bad omen. If during a feast a person drops disposable chopsticks, then he continues the meal only after the waiter replaces them new couple. It is not customary to tap the edge of the bowl with chopsticks, as this is associated with begging. Sticking chopsticks vertically into a bowl of rice is also prohibited, as this resembles smoking sticks in a temple and symbolizes death. It is not recommended to move the sticks to the side. The expression "move aside the chopsticks" also signifies death. After eating, the chopsticks must be placed on a special stand, which sometimes represents no less valuable work of art than custom-made personal chopsticks. Besides, you need to eat right hand, turning it palm up. If the palm is turned down, it means that this person does not value his wealth. The farther from the ends a girl holds her chopsticks, the farther from home she will find a husband. In general, it is customary to give newlyweds exactly these cutlery, since this gift is perceived as a wish to quickly produce a son.
All these traditions have not changed for almost 35 centuries, and maybe more. Who exactly and when invented the first chinese chopsticks- “kuai tzu” (these two hieroglyphs sound like the hieroglyph “quickly”, but there is another translation - “bamboo”) - history is silent. There are several beautiful legends explaining how the mechanism of the sticks was invented. Two are considered the most plausible. The first tells about the stern Emperor Zhou Wang and his concubine Daji, who in reality lived about three thousand years ago. Knowing that the emperor was difficult to please at the table and was also afraid of poisoning, Daji was always the first to try the food. One day she did not have time to cool the hot dish - Zhou-wan was already preparing to eat it. At that moment, the quick-witted girl pulled out the jade hairpins from her hair, picked up a piece with them and began to blow strongly. When the dish cooled down a little, Daji treated it to the emperor. Zhou-wan liked the reception so much that he obliged Daji to always feed him only hairpins. Later, the concubine asked to make her a pair of longer jade hairpins - they are believed to have become the prototype for chopsticks.
A different version is common in northeast China. According to it, Emperor Shun, whom the Chinese reverence as one of the main cultural heroes nation, ordered his dignitary Dayu (his name translated as Great Yu, and he is credited with creating the first irrigation systems on the Yellow River) to pacify the flood. For days on end Yu struggled with natural disaster. Finally he decided to have a snack, boiling meat and rice. But I couldn’t taste the food right away because it was very hot. Not wanting to wait, Yu broke off a couple of thin branches. With their help, he removed a piece of meat from the vat, then blew on it and ate it.