Quick Talk Answers

1.  Chopsticks etiquette.

There's a lot to learn to master chopsticks etiquette. It's easy to offend people. I guess the first thing is to hold the chopsticks properly. I even see Japanese people who cannot hold them properly. Many people are unaware of all the rules. Some chopsticks etiquette is linked to chopsticks used at a ritual at a funeral.

2.  Licking chopsticks.

Licking chopsticks is a big no-no. You should absolutely NOT do this. If you lick your chopsticks, you will look childish and greedy. However, I sometimes want to lick my chopsticks. Especially when I eat warabi mochi and there's lots of kinako on my chopsticks.

3.  Moving bowls around with chopsticks.

You should never use chopsticks to move bowls around the table. This will offend other diners, especially in a restaurant. If you do this, you might tip over one of the bowls. That might be an accident, so it's always better to move bowls with your hands. Using your hands is easier and safer.

4.  Using chopsticks like drum sticks.

Chopsticks are not toys. We should never play with them. We should absolutely never use them like drum sticks. I remember my mother scolding me when I was little for doing that. That was after I was using my bowl of miso soup as a drum and it tipped over. The soup went all over the table.

5.  Pointing chopsticks at people.

You will really offend people if you point at them with chopsticks. It's very rude. It's also rude to point chopsticks at food on the table, even if you want to point to something that tastes good. But, pointing chopsticks at things isn't as bad as standing chopsticks vertically in rice. That's really, really, really rude.

6.  Disposable chopsticks.

Disposable chopsticks are very useful, but I worry about the trees and the environment. There are some rules about disposable chopsticks. One is that you should never rub them together after you break them apart. Another is to put them back in the paper wrapper after you use them.

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