Now that you know how to use the chopsticks from my previous post, allow me to follow-through with some fascinating facts that I’m sure will enlighten you. Did you know that Japanese chopsticks are pointed, while Chinese ones are squared-off? Apparently, this makes it easy to take out the bones from fish, which is staple in the Japanese diet.
I further learned from www.orientalfood.com that,
Passing food to another person using your chopsticks is taboo as it resembles a ritual in which bone fragments from the cremated body are removed from the pyre and passed from chopsticks to chopsticks among the mourners. It is also important not to leave the chopsticks sticking upright in the rice bowl. A dead family member’s personal pair is often positioned this way in an offering bowl of uncooked rice placed at the family altar.
So the next time you get your fingers working on those chopsticks, make sure you remember this important food etiquette!