Nowadays, an exotic dish called “sushi” has become commonplace. According to tradition, sushi, rolls, and other oriental dishes are eaten with chopsticks, which are also called hashi. An ordinary Russian person is faced with a problem - how to hold a khasi correctly. It looks easy, but in practice, as it turned out, it is not so simple. First, let's get acquainted with the history of oriental cutlery.
Historical facts
It's hard to believe, but the Khasi are over 2000 years old. The exact time of their creation is not known. Many researchers of Chinese culture associate the appearance of the Khasi with the Shan-Yin dynasty. And this is 1764 - 1027 BC. e. In those days, only rich and respected people could eat with chopsticks. All other layers of society were able to use them already in the 800s. e.There is a legend that these sticks were originally used for cooking, not eating food. They were used to turn over hot food and the stones on which it was fried.
After some time, chopsticks gained popularity in many countries such as Korea, Vietnam, Japan, etc. For residents of these regions, Hashi is not only a cutlery, but also a part of a millennia-old culture.
The first sticks were made from bamboo. Now you can see khasi made of wood, metal, animal bones and even glass and porcelain. Very often they are decorated with ornaments.
How to use sushi chopsticks?
Having familiarized ourselves with the history of the creation of chopsticks, we will learn how to use them. Even the most dexterous Chinese once did not know how to eat using hasi. But the training did its job. And now residents of eastern countries know how to use chopsticks better than we use forks or spoons.
In just 3 steps you will learn how to hold and use a hashi.
How to hold chopsticks?
And now in more detail:
Table manners
Even the fact that you know how to use chopsticks will not save you if you behave incorrectly at the table. Residents of eastern countries have strictly adhered to their traditions for more than three thousand years and do not intend to break them. But as they say, they don’t interfere with someone else’s family with their own rules. So we write down:
- You can't put food on sticks.
- You can't stick hashi into rice, for example. This is what they do at funerals.
- Under no circumstances should you create patterns at the table using these cutlery items.
- Khasi are individual chopsticks. There is no need to put food on someone else's plate with them. This is unhygienic and uncivilized.
- Do not move sushi around on a shared plate.
- Don't wrap food around hashi. Especially noodles or spaghetti.
- You can't lick chopsticks. This is not a spoon.
- Do not place chopsticks across the plate after eating.
- You cannot point to something or someone using hashi.
- Holding chopsticks in a fist is a sign of aggression for Easterners.
- If you want more, first put the chopsticks on the table and only then contact the hostess.
In the East Chinese chopsticks have long become an integral attribute modern life. There, children from the age of one are taught the basics of their use. In addition to the function of cutlery, Chinese chopsticks are great way development of fine motor skills. IN last decades they actively penetrate into life Western society along with exotic oriental cuisine.
Etiquette rules for using Chinese chopsticks
In order not to look stupid in Chinese oriental establishments, you should know the rules of etiquette:
- Sushi should be taken with chopsticks, dipped in soy sauce and eaten whole. Taking a bite of sushi or breaking it into pieces is considered bad manners.
- You should not dig through a common bowl of sushi and rolls in search of the best piece. If you accidentally touch any piece, you must take it back for yourself.
- You cannot put food on sticks or stick them into food.
- In Eastern culture, clenching chopsticks in a fist is perceived as a threatening gesture.
- It is considered bad form to attract the waiter's attention by tapping on the plate.
- It is forbidden to wave or move Chinese chopsticks across the table.
- Do not lick the chopsticks or keep them in your mouth without eating.
- You cannot pass food to another person using your chopsticks.
- Before asking for additional food, place your chopsticks on your plate.
- You cannot place chopsticks across the plate.
- If chopsticks are not needed for a meal, then they should be put aside with their thin ends to the left.
- After finishing the meal, you should place the chopsticks lengthwise on the stand.
From the history of Chinese chopsticks
One version says that Chinese chopsticks were first used for cooking, not for eating. With their help, cooks turned over pieces of fried meat or fish. Then, gradually, Chinese chopsticks began to be used for meals. According to another version, Emperor Zhou was the first to use Chinese chopsticks for eating food approximately 4000 years ago. After him, chopsticks became the prerogative of Chinese aristocratic society. And in the 800s AD they found their way onto the tables of ordinary residents.
Varieties of Chinese chopsticks
Important!!!
“Kuaizu” is the name given to Chinese sticks in their homeland in China, which means “bamboo”.
The first sticks were made from it. They were similar to tweezers: the bottom was divided into two sticks of the same size, and the top was a uniform piece of material. Over time, the sticks began to separate. Chinese chopsticks can be made from various materials: metal, plastic, bone. The most common sticks are made of wood (pine, cedar, cypress, maple). Restaurants offer disposable chopsticks. Reusable ones can be works of art: they are decorated with stones, varnished, and painted.
The Japanese-themed celebration is about to begin. The tables are laden with exquisite oriental dishes. But instead of traditional forks, the table is set with wonderful chopsticks. This is an integral oriental utensil for eating, which the Japanese call hashi, and the Chinese call kuaizi.
Its centuries-old history, delicate etiquette and amazing design require certain skills to use. To feel comfortable in restaurants serving Japanese cuisine or visiting friends who are fond of sushi, you should learn how to use this cutlery correctly.
Khasi: history and traditions
Historical chronicles and archaeological research have established that China is considered the birthplace of chopsticks. According to legend, such cutlery appeared during the reign of the Shang approximately 3 thousand years ago. This method of eating food was invented by the historical ancestor Yu, who showed considerable ingenuity and pulled out a piece of meat from a boiling cauldron with two broken branches. Since this prevented him from scalding his fingers with boiling water, his experience was quickly passed on to other people.
The Hashi entered Japanese culture during the Bronze Age. At first they were used only at the imperial court, but after centuries the Khasis became available to the lower strata of society. They are so ingrained in the Japanese mentality that over time they turned from cutlery into a sacred symbol.
What types of sushi chopsticks are there?
Sushi sticks in their original form were made of wood and looked like a split bamboo trunk, which on one side had two points, and on the other remained solid. The cross section of the hasi could be round or square, and the sharp end could be conical or pyramidal.
In the catering industry, disposable chopsticks (waribashi) are mainly used. They resemble a half-sawn cylindrical piece of wood or plastic that needs to be broken before eating. This is considered a sign that no one has ever eaten with chopsticks. They are served in restaurants and packaged in sterile bags with the establishment's logo.
The modern variety of reusable chopsticks (nuribashi) allows you to choose chopsticks for every taste and color. They are manufactured different forms and sizes, with colorful designs or hieroglyphs, and sometimes they are even inlaid precious stones. This device is served on a hasioki stand.
Chopsticks are made from the following materials:
- Wood species (bamboo, maple, sandalwood, cypress, plum).
- Precious metals (silver, gold, steel).
- Exotic raw materials (ivory, deer horns, crystal).
- Plastic.
How should you hold sushi chopsticks?
To learn how to deftly manipulate sushi chopsticks, you need to hold them correctly between your fingers:
- It is necessary to make a basis for fixing the sticks. To do this, you need to press your little finger and ring finger and bend them towards the middle of your palm. The middle finger paired with the index finger should lean forward a little.
- The thick end of the lower hashi should be placed in the hole between the thumb and index finger. The tip of the hashi should rest on the nail phalanx of the middle finger.
- Now the thick end of the upper hisi needs to be placed on the index finger, and its position should be fixed with the bun of the thumb. A pencil holds about the same way.
During the meal, the lower stick should remain fixed, and all manipulations should be carried out with the upper stick. To grab food, you need to straighten your little finger and ring finger, spread your chopsticks, grab a piece of food, and then bend your fingers again and bring the food to your mouth.
Advice! If you use special sticks with a holder (baby sticks or clothespin sticks), you need to manipulate them like tweezers, adjusting the clamping process with your middle finger.
It will take some time to achieve positive results, so you can practice a little at home by catching small objects with chopsticks, such as beans or corn. Over time, your fingers will become dexterous and the hashi control process will become automatic.
A few etiquette rules
Over the course of a couple of thousand years, the ritual of eating with chopsticks has acquired many traditions, rules and prohibitions. Of course, different nationalities have their own ethnic customs, but in general they have many similarities.
The main principle of using hashi is unquestioning respect for this sacred instrument.
Chopsticks are only allowed to pick up, place or stir food, and all other manipulations are considered notes of bad taste. Therefore, if you are planning to visit eastern countries or often visit elite Japanese restaurants, you need to know some features of the culture of using hashi chopsticks:
- It is forbidden to prick food on the tip of chopsticks or stick them into a plate with a dish.
- It is unacceptable to fiddle with chopsticks in the dishes in search of a more appetizing piece.
- To attract the attention of service personnel, it is prohibited to knock on the dishes with chopsticks.
- If you take a portioned piece with chopsticks, it must definitely get into your mouth. It is indecent to put food back on the plate.
- Don't wave your hashi, lick it, or point it in anyone's direction.
- Do not place chopsticks in a vertical position. This is reminiscent of the ritual of placing scented candles for the deceased.
- The strictest taboo is considered to be transferring food from one plate to another with chopsticks. In Japan, there is a ritual of placing the bones of a cremated body with chopsticks into a funeral urn.
- Hashi clenched in a fist is considered a threat signal.
- One third of the population uses chopsticks for sushi as their main cutlery, another third prefer forks and spoons, while the rest prefer to eat with their hands.
- In Japan, Hashi is considered the most the best gift for any celebration. They are given to newlyweds as a symbol of longevity, health and good luck.
- On the hundredth day after birth, babies are presented with their first chopsticks, which they begin to eat from the age of one.
- Chopsticks are considered a purely personal item, so no Japanese person who respects tradition will allow himself to eat with someone else’s chopsticks.
- The unique mental abilities of the Japanese and Chinese are attributed to highly developed hand motor skills, which are improved through the use of hashi from an early age.
- For eating food, only sushi chopsticks are used in four countries of the world: China, Japan, as well as Korea and Vietnam.
- The Chinese use about 40 billion pairs of Waribashi every year.
- In the 17th century, silver sticks were made to detect poison in food. At that time, arsenic was used as a poison, upon contact with which the silver changed color.
- In Korea, they use metal chopsticks for sushi.
Even if you are not a fan of sushi, learning how to eat with sushi chopsticks will still be a good idea. This is quite easy to do, you just need to get the hang of it a little. After all, you can be invited to a Japanese-style lunch at any time. In addition, in the process of learning a new culture, you will learn a lot of interesting things and have fun.
The East is such a delicate matter that it is difficult for the broad Slavic soul to understand and accept some Asian traditions. For example, it is still difficult for our compatriots to learn to eat with Chinese chopsticks, despite the fact that the fashion for Chinese and Japanese cuisine has spread throughout the world. We love sushi and rolls, sashimi and Chinese noodles, but have difficulty eating it all with chopsticks. Probably, if it were possible to eat sushi with a fork and rice with a spoon, our people would definitely take advantage of this opportunity!
But no: if you want sushi, learn to eat sushi with chopsticks. Moreover, in our time this is already a question with a share of challenge to oneself, a certain sporting interest. How quickly can you learn to eat with chopsticks? Will you be ahead of your friends in this skill or will you learn to eat with chopsticks last at the table? If you really start such a competition in your circle, you will find our detailed instructions on using Chinese chopsticks.
Why do the Chinese eat with chopsticks? Types of chopsticks
Population East Asia Almost everyone uses chopsticks, not out of inability to use other cutlery, and certainly not out of masochism. The Chinese, as well as the Japanese, Vietnamese, Koreans and Thais, eat with chopsticks with pleasure, as they bequeathed ancient ruler Yu the Great, who lived in the 3rd century BC. According to legend, the wise Yu performed many glorious deeds, but today he is remembered for his resourcefulness: after cooking meat in a cauldron, the mythical hero broke off two wood twigs and used them to extract food from boiling water. Grateful contemporaries and descendants adopted this technique and made it a tradition.
Since then, sticks have become a common device for about a third of the world's population. Moreover, the so-called Chinese chopsticks are just one of several types of chopsticks, which are not so difficult to distinguish from each other if you know their features: 
In fact, metal sticks are also useful in their own way, at least they were not invented in vain. For example, silver darkens when in contact with arsenic, so in past centuries, when palace intrigues often claimed the lives of heirs to the throne, silver chopsticks made it possible to detect the presence of poison in food. Nowadays, you don’t have to worry about poisoning (if, of course, you eat at trusted sushi bars) and feel free to eat with wooden or plastic chopsticks.
How to learn to eat with Chinese chopsticks?
Only a few craftsmen take sticks in their hands for the first time and immediately succeed in doing something. If you are not Chinese, then first practice holding chopsticks correctly, otherwise you will hardly be able to use them. If you really want to eat, and not just sit at a set table, you will have to forget about embarrassment and try to position and hold the chopsticks in your fingers for a while. To get up to speed quickly, follow the instructions: 
Now that you have the chopsticks in your hand, try not to squeeze them too tightly or strain your hand, otherwise you will not be able to move the chopsticks, which is necessary for picking up and holding food. If possible, relax your hand and try to squeeze and unclench the sharp ends of the sticks with just your index finger. It is important that the lower stick, lying between the bases of the thumb and index finger, remains motionless, and the upper one represents tweezers, pressing pieces of food.
Similar guidance can be found on each package of disposable chopsticks that are issued with your order at Chinese and Japanese restaurants. Its convenience lies in its clarity: each stage is illustrated with a schematic drawing. However, these pictures are too primitive and more like sketches hinting at how to hold chopsticks. You can look at this “cheat sheet”, but the step-by-step text instructions will explain the correct position of the fingers more clearly.
How to eat with chopsticks? What can you eat with chopsticks?
The ability to hold Chinese chopsticks in itself does not mean that you have learned to eat with chopsticks according to all the rules. The skill requires regular practice so that the need to put a piece of food into your mouth does not force you to line up the position of your fingers for half an hour. You can even practice using chopsticks at home, on available products and objects: 
- Holding the chopsticks with one hand, try moving and spreading them while without food, simply practicing the motor skills of the movements. Notice if your hand gets tired. If the hand is in the correct position and relaxed, holding the sticks should not be tiring.
- Start training with large pieces non-slip food. Slices of bread, slices of fruit and vegetables are ideal. As long as no one sees, you can eat with chopsticks at least fried potatoes, if it helps you practice the necessary movements.
- Gradually complicate the task and try to pick up smaller objects with chopsticks. Order sushi at home and practice on the rolls. Over time, when it becomes easier to hold food, use them to pick up peas, kernels of canned corn and similar small items.
Rules of table manners when using Chinese chopsticks
The use of chopsticks is not only a refined mechanical action, but also compliance with the subtleties that have accumulated over centuries in the Eastern culture of eating. Here are some nuances that will allow you to look decent when visiting a restaurant and not lose face while sharing a meal with representatives of Asian countries:
- Treat chopsticks with respect. Never knock them on the table, twirl them in your hands, or make any other erratic gestures. Only transferring food from a shared plate to your own and/or bringing food to your mouth is all that you are allowed to do with chopsticks.
- They clamp food with chopsticks, but pinching pieces onto chopsticks is strictly prohibited. Just as it is not customary to stick chopsticks into rice or any other food. The last prohibition is associated with traditional funeral rites, when special incense sticks are placed vertically.
- Sticks are like chess: if you touch it, move. That is, if you touch a piece on a common dish with your chopsticks, you are obliged to take that particular piece for yourself. You can ask for more, but before doing so you should place your chopsticks on the table near your plate.
Chopsticks are difficult to master, but for those who have learned to master them perfectly, they are a convenient and versatile cutlery.
History of Chinese chopsticks
The history of Chinese chopsticks goes back several thousand years. Scientists believe that they were first used in China before our era. According to one version, this happened during the reign of the Shang-Yin dynasty (approximately 1764-1027 BC).
But the historical notes of Sima Qian, written during the Han Dynasty, say that Emperor Zhou used ivory chopsticks about 4,000 years ago. From this it follows that the first Chinese chopsticks appeared even before the Shang-Yin dynasty.
Chinese chronicles indicate that in those days only the emperor and his entourage used chopsticks, and only in 700-800 AD did they enter the homes of the common people.
There is a version that initially chopsticks were needed only when preparing food wrapped in leaves. It was with their help that cooks quickly and deftly moved hot stones and turned over pieces of meat, fish and vegetables. Later, sticks became a replacement for a long-handled scoop called a “bi.”
If previously prepared food was removed from the dish with this spoon (a “bi” scoop), then with the advent of chopsticks the need for it disappeared. Now the fashion for sticks is popular all over the world.
What types of chopsticks are there?
What the first chopsticks were made of can be guessed by their name “kuaizu”, containing a root with the meaning “bamboo”. The bamboo trunk was split in two, and its halves were folded, resulting in the sticks resembling tweezers. The separate form of kuaizu was acquired much later, and has remained in this form to this day.
Now chopsticks are made from a variety of materials: plastic, bone, metal (including gold and silver). But most often, wood of various species is used for their production. Among them are pine, cypress, plum, maple, cedar, willow, black or purple sandalwood.
Chopsticks can be disposable, like those served in Chinese, Japanese or Vietnamese restaurants, or reusable, which are purchased for constant use and stored at home along with other cutlery.
Such kuaizu can be a real work of art: they are painted and varnished, decorated with ornaments and inlaid with metal and mother-of-pearl.
The appearance of chopsticks is also varied: pyramidal in shape, with thick or thin ends, flat. Their cross-section can be round, oval, square, with rounded corners.
The tradition of eating with chopsticks from the Chinese was adopted by the Japanese, Koreans, Vietnamese and other peoples of the East, but this happened only in the 12th century. In each of these countries, chopsticks look different.
Japanese hashi are also made of wood, but they are shorter than Chinese kuaizu and have more pointed ends. There are special stands for chopsticks in Japan: hasioki. This name is formed by adding the verbal noun oki from the verb oku - put, leave. Hasioki are made from ceramics, wood and bamboo and are often of artistic value.
Koreans eat with very thin chopsticks, made mostly of metal.
How to use Chinese chopsticks correctly
Characteristic dishes have their own cutlery. You wouldn't eat soup with a fork, would you? In this article we will learn how to use Chinese chopsticks. It's not difficult at all.
1. Relax your hand. Straighten your index and middle fingers, and bend your ring and little fingers slightly.
2. Then take one stick (at a distance of one third from the upper end) between the thumb and forefinger right hand. Hold the stick with the thumb and ring fingers so that the index, middle and thumb form a ring.
3. Take the second stick, placing it parallel to the first, at a distance of 15 millimeters. When the middle finger straightens, the sticks move apart.
4. Bring the chopsticks together, bending the index finger, and pinch with the tips what they want to put into the mouth. In addition, if the piece is too large, you can use chopsticks to separate it, but only very carefully.
Table culture with Chinese chopsticks
Since Chinese chopsticks are part of the culture, there are certain rules behavior at the table when using them. In general, the set of rules for using khasi is as follows:
- Do not tap your chopsticks on the table, plate or other objects to call the waiter.
- Do not “draw” with chopsticks on the table, do not “wander” aimlessly around the food with chopsticks.
- Before you reach for your chopsticks, choose a piece.
- Always take food from the top, do not poke around in the bowl with chopsticks in search of the best piece. If you touch food, eat.
- Don't stick food on sticks.
- Do not shake the chopsticks to cool the piece.
- Do not put your face in the bowl or bring it too close to your mouth and then use chopsticks to stuff food into your mouth.
- Do not compact food brought to your mouth using chopsticks.
- Don't lick the chopsticks.
- Don't just keep chopsticks in your mouth.
- When not using chopsticks, place them with the sharp ends to the left.
- Never pass food with chopsticks to another person.
- Never point or wave chopsticks in the air.
- Do not pull the plate towards you with chopsticks, always pick it up.
- Place your chopsticks on the table before asking for more rice.
- Do not clasp two chopsticks in your fist: the Japanese perceive this gesture as threatening.
- Never stick your chopsticks into the rice. This is prohibited and is only served to the dead before a funeral.
- Do not place chopsticks across the cup.
- After you have finished eating, place your chopsticks on a rack (hashioka).