Thus, chopsticks coming together to lift clumps of fluffy rice from a bowl became the symbol of Chinese nutrition. Perhaps more likely, it was the agricultural revolution which made grain food more important than non-grain food in meals. Some put it down to Confucius, a vegetarian, who hated knives at the table because they reminded him of the slaughter of animals. There is much speculation about why chopsticks slowly became so engrained in Chinese culture over the following centuries. These bitesize pieces, which are ubiquitous even in today’s Chinese dishes, lent themselves perfectly to the pinch of chopsticks.
As China’s population boomed, people had to economize with fuel, cutting food into small chunks to cook it faster.
Prior to that, archaeological remains show that large chopstick-like utensils were used mostly during the cooking process, which is still common in modern-day Japan. Let’s take it back a few centuries to around 400 A.D., when people in Asia really started using chopsticks to eat. By using chopsticks as a lazy racial slur (which led to a nationwide boycott of D&G products), the whole episode demonstrated how inextricable these eating implements are to China’s identity. Showing a Chinese woman struggling to eat pizza and spaghetti using chopsticks, it was accused of being racist and led to their show in Shanghai being pulled.
As I have slowly become more acquainted with Chinese food, and more importantly China’s culture, chopsticks have started making much more sense.Įarlier this year, fashion behemoth Dolce & Gabbana made a huge faux pas by releasing a controversial advertisement stereotyping their biggest audience. Readily available knives and forks were much more practical to use, to my Western mind.
To me, it used to seem odd that billions of people all across Asia would still use chopsticks to eat. Find out all about what chopsticks are, their significance, how to use them, and a little bit of background too. In my first culture post about China food-related topics, I’ll be covering that most fundamental concept of Asian cuisine – the chopstick.
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