The “Chopsticks Dispute” between China, Japan and South Korea, Why South Koreans Insist on Using the Most Difficult Chopsticks in the World
Chopsticks can be said to be the “quintessence” of China. It is also known as “chopsticks”, but few people know about it in China, but this has been preserved in Japan. According to historians, the history of the use of chopsticks in China can be traced back to the Shang Dynasty. In particular, it is worth mentioning that Japan and South Korea, which are adjacent to China, have gradually formed chopsticks in line with their respective national conditions after long-term development while imitating Chinese chopsticks.
Chopsticks are a common eating tool in Southeast Asia. Under the influence of ancient Chinese culture, residents of Japan and the Korean Peninsula have also learned to eat with chopsticks. Eating with chopsticks is a kind of culture. although today, China, Japan and South Korea all have the culture of eating with chopsticks, due to historical reasons and the influence of local environmental factors, chopsticks are different among the three countries.
In Japan, chopsticks are very short and sharp. They use wooden chopsticks.
In China, chopsticks are long and thick, and they are generally made of wood. Because the area is vast and different from place to place, plastic chopsticks and metal chopsticks are also used.
In Korea, chopsticks are flat, usually metal chopsticks.
Then why is there such a big gap between chopsticks?
Japanese like to use chopsticks to hold bowls when eating, so they don’t need long chopsticks. And Japanese love to eat fish is also related, because it is more suitable for picking.
When Chinese people eat, they usually have traditional seats, with large tables and many plates. Because the plates are far away, people use very long chopsticks.
Korean chopsticks are neither as long as Chinese chopsticks nor as short as Japanese chopsticks. The Korean dining table is a small table with short feet, and the host and guest sit cross-legged. It can be said that between the two, but because of the different ingredients, Korean beans and kimchi, so chopsticks are thinner.
Which of these three chopsticks is the most difficult for foreigners to use?
Japan: because Japanese chopsticks are very short, and the wood of chopsticks is not very smooth, it is easy to control. Japanese chopsticks are also the most convenient for foreigners to use, so they are very popular.
China: because Chinese chopsticks are longer, they are a little more difficult for foreigners than Japanese chopsticks, but they are still very popular.
South Korea: Korean chopsticks are small, heavy and slippery, and even China and Japan, which use chopsticks, feel a little awkward, so it is the biggest headache for foreigners.
However, if it is easy for a foreigner to use Korean chopsticks, then there is absolutely no problem with using Chinese and Japanese chopsticks, so it is clear at a glance that Korea is the most difficult to use, Japan is the simplest, and Chinese chopsticks are in the middle. Although it is not the simplest, China is the birthplace of chopsticks. It is said that Dayu is the first person in the world to use chopsticks, which is worth mentioning.
After a long history of development, chopsticks have also formed a unique custom.
Chinese people are very particular about the use of chopsticks, not only in etiquette, but also in taboos. From an early age, our parents taught us not to hold chopsticks in our mouths, not to point at others with chopsticks, and not to insert chopsticks in the middle of rice. this is the etiquette of chopsticks.
There are also many folk taboos related to chopsticks, such as not putting two chopsticks of different length on the table during the meal, resulting in a situation of “three or two short”. This is very unlucky, implying “death”. For example, if you hit a bowl and plate with chopsticks, there is a folk saying that “knock on the bowl and knock on chopsticks and beg to eat for a lifetime”, implying “poverty”.
South Korea is also a big chopstick user. It’s just that when the chopsticks arrived on the peninsula, the peninsula people threw bamboo and wood, making it all made of metal. It is said that the use of wooden and bamboo chopsticks is due to the fact that Peninsula cuisine is famous for its “red” color, and that long-term use of wooden or bamboo chopsticks will dye the head of chopsticks with a red color, and another is because Koreans love to eat barbecue. Just invented the metal chopsticks that are most suitable for barbecue.
The main reason why Korean chopsticks are difficult to use is their shape. Korean chopsticks are not Chinese cylinders, nor Japanese ones, but flat cuboids. It is easy to lose chopsticks when picking up food for the first time. To tell you the truth, every time I see the chopsticks used by Koreans, I can’t help thinking of the word “Bonzi”.
There are also great differences in the use of chopsticks among the three countries.
Chinese people have always been mixed with their families, and their relatives pick up food for each other and give way to each other, full of strong affection. Japanese families, on the other hand, are in contrast to Chinese families. Everyone has their own “special chopsticks” for dining, which must not be misused. They all order food, so they don’t have the habit of picking up each other’s food modestly. It is sanitary, but the family affection has also been “sanitary”.
Koreans on the table are very similar to the Chinese, a meal will be full of affection, affection to the strong, regardless of where the chopsticks belong.
