Knives, Forks, and Chopsticks (I)

16 Knives, Forks, and Chopsticks (I) There are many ways to eat food. Every culture has a distinct way of eating. In parts of Africa, families and friends eat from a communal dish, dipping pieces of hard bread into the dish to grasp the food and get it from the bowl to their mouths. North Americans and Europeans use forks, knives, and spoons to accomplish the same task. In Asia, chopsticks are the utensil of choice. You might think it's easy to use chopsticks, but I can assure you that it's not as simple as it first appears. I learned this lesson a couple of years ago. I had applied for a job with a Chinese-Canadian company in Vancouver. As you know, the Chinese are famous for their food. They cook delicious food and they derive a simple pleasure from eating.

So I was not surprised when my new boss invited me out to lunch to celebrate my new job. He said we were going to eat in a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown. I was nervous. I knew we would be using chopsticks, and while I had tried many times to master the technique, I had failed miserably in every attempt. How would I be able to make a good impression? Would they laugh at me? Would I make a complete fool of myself? I went home that evening and cooked some rice and chicken in a stir-fry. I heaped the food on my plate, and I spent the next hour attempting to learn how to use chopsticks. Try as I might, I could not hold the food with my chopsticks. I called a friend and asked her to explain exactly how to use the chopsticks. She patiently explained the proper way of holding them between the thumb, first and middle fingers. “ It's not that hard, " she said. “ That's easy for you to say, " I replied. " You've been eating with chopsticks all your life. It's natural for you! " I didn't get much sleep that evening. I tossed and turned in bed, worrying about lunch the next day.