I think Jerry Seinfeld expressed it very well:
"I’ll tell you what I like about Chinese people. They’re hanging in there with the chopsticks, aren’t they? You know they’ve seen the fork. They’re staying with the sticks. I don’t know how they missed it. Chinese farmer gets up, works in the field with a shovel all day. Shovel. Spoon. Come on. You’re not plowing 40 acres with a couple of pool cues!"
Indeed.
What is the deal with chopsticks? If you've got a bowl full of food, is it not easier to scoop it out on a fork or spoon? A shovel is more appropriate for digging a ditch than is a pair of pool cues.
The wooden ones are contributing to deforestation, especially when you consider that well over one fifth of the world uses them on a daily basis. The plastic ones are devoid of any traction whatsoever, and are nearly useless when it comes to picking up your more slippery morsels.
"I’ll tell you what I like about Chinese people. They’re hanging in there with the chopsticks, aren’t they? You know they’ve seen the fork. They’re staying with the sticks. I don’t know how they missed it. Chinese farmer gets up, works in the field with a shovel all day. Shovel. Spoon. Come on. You’re not plowing 40 acres with a couple of pool cues!"
Indeed.
What is the deal with chopsticks? If you've got a bowl full of food, is it not easier to scoop it out on a fork or spoon? A shovel is more appropriate for digging a ditch than is a pair of pool cues.
The wooden ones are contributing to deforestation, especially when you consider that well over one fifth of the world uses them on a daily basis. The plastic ones are devoid of any traction whatsoever, and are nearly useless when it comes to picking up your more slippery morsels.
Here's a pet peeve of mine: people who insist on sticking with the sticks when eating their leftovers for lunch, regardless of where they are and whether they are alone. I had this buddy back in school a few years ago who brought his fried rice leftovers to the student lounge, and proceeded to pull out his disposable chopsticks. I said, "Hey buddy, it's just you and me here; I won't care if you use a fork or a spoon. You know as well as I do that it's easier." He looked at me like I was from Mars and replied, "But it's Chinese food!". I didn't bother pursuing the argument, but I enjoyed watching him struggle with balancing the rice on the sticks. It took him about fifteen minutes to eat what he could have scarfed down in about two with a spoon.
So what -are- they good for? Sushi. What else? Not sure. The reason why I say they are good for sushi is that a unique precision is required to pick up the bite-sized morsels. The unique precision can be described as a "tong-like" grip...
But now I'm thinking "Why not just use tongs?!" How about using little tongs instea
d of chopsticks? The closed end of tongs ensures that they are fool proof, and your average gweilo can use them without practise. How about these special tongs have a rough grip on it's business end, so that the slippery morsels never fall? Genius! I should market these things. If I sell them to one fifth of the world's population, I'll be rich!
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