Eating with chopsticks is an acquired skill that has absolutely nothing to do with St. Paul real estate! But, it does have a lot to do with many of my favorite St. Paul restaurants which are Asian. Before moving to St. Paul, I ate food in the traditional American way, with knife, fork and spoon. The European skill of eating peas from a knife held in the left hand was beyond my skill, but I was determined to learn chopsticks.
Rudimentary attempts at self-teaching all culminated with food on my chest or in my lap. Finally, our son took mercy upon me and demonstrated the fine skill of chopstick management. It’s all in keeping one stick fairly stable between the thumb and the pointer finger. The moving stick held between the ring finger and the middle finger (that one we’re not supposed to display when driving!) comes toward the stable stick gently grasping the food to prevent twisting. Whether this is the “proper” chopstick management system is unknown, but it works.
Once the sticks began behaving, Asian food just wasn’t the same without them. Each morsel is a taste experience. Today my sticks can hold a pine nut or a kernel of rice. Since eating rice by the single kernel is time consuming, the use of chopsticks clarifies why most Asian rice is "sticky". Sticky rice can be gently grasped between the sticks so it stays together on its long trek from plate/bowl to mouth.
Carole, I've found that eating with chop sticks enhances the pleasure of eating. I know that sounds absolutely crazy, but each bite is enjoyed with chop sticks. None of that filling the mouth so full that individual flavors are lost to the palate!
Posted by: Bonnie Erickson | March 26, 2008 at 12:08 PM
It took me awhile to learn how to use them as well. Now I try to use them at home for lots of styles of food....it slows down my chomping habits lol
Posted by: Carole Cohen | March 24, 2008 at 09:54 AM