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A Japanese glossary of chopsticks faux pas (2022)

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Re: A Japanese glossary of chopsticks faux pas (2022)

#341

Post by apparent »

mjamesaustin wrote: post #7

I was shocked to find it's a faux pas to rub disposable chopsticks to remove potential splinters. I was taught this is what you're supposed to do with disposable chopsticks.

I had a friend from Korea who thought it wasn't necessary/was improper to rub chopsticks together. This wasn't a matter of offending the restaurant, since we were eating in a university cafeteria.

I always rub mine together, but I suppose it would be interesting to know if you didn't, how often would something bad happen? Is it more likely to hurt your mouth or your fingers?

Re: A Japanese glossary of chopsticks faux pas (2022)

#342

Post by the_gipsy »

wojciii wrote: post #282
masfuerte wrote: post #268

Earlier quoted context omitted.

By American way do you mean cutting the food then transferring the fork to your right hand for eating? Or is there some other distinction?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ctrOZIJni8Q This explains the difference. The European method seems the most optimal.

To save you a click, the answer is: yes.

Re: A Japanese glossary of chopsticks faux pas (2022)

#343

Post by the_gipsy »

craftkiller wrote: post #305
wojciii wrote: post #282

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ctrOZIJni8Q This explains the difference. The European method seems the most optimal.

This is bonkers. Just cut the food with your non-dominant hand. If you're so weak that you cannot cut the food with your non-dominant hand then you're either a small child, elderly, or you have a medical condition.

Nonsense. If you can cut with your non dominant hand, then you can also spear and scoop with it.

Re: A Japanese glossary of chopsticks faux pas (2022)

#344

Post by the_gipsy »

madaxe_again wrote: post #278
masfuerte wrote: post #268

Earlier quoted context omitted.

By American way do you mean cutting the food then transferring the fork to your right hand for eating? Or is there some other distinction?

That and you hold them in your fists or like a pen, rather than the European manner of holding cutlery.

Lee Van Clyf eating in good bad and ugly. Really underlines the savageness of the wild west.

Re: A Japanese glossary of chopsticks faux pas (2022)

#345

Post by pja »

20k wrote: post #279
chasil wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a wiki. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eating_utensil_etiquette Edit: The wiki on chopsticks has an etiquette section broken down by country. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chopsticks#Chopstick_customs,_...

Its always extremely funny reading wikipedia articles about a countries customs. For the UK: >Bread is always served and can be placed on the table cloth itself This is extremely rare, to the point where I can't remember the last time I saw it. Is bread really.. always served? > In the United Kingdom, the fork tines face upward while sitting on the table. Tines down isn't uncommon in the UK either >if a knife is not…

> Is bread really.. always served?

At any kind of formal dining? Yes, absolutely, I would expect there to be a bread roll & a pat of butter served at the beginning of the meal. Both in restaurants & formal dinners in my experience.

It's not an absolute rule though & you generally wouldn't expect bread to be served like this at home in the UK. I think the French are more likely to serve bread at home as well.

Re: A Japanese glossary of chopsticks faux pas (2022)

#346

Post by vel0city »

rtpg wrote: post #186
triceratops wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If a nice establishment has splintery chopsticks maybe they should look in the mirror.

I go to your house to have food. You give me a fork and knife. I go to your kitchen to wash the fork and knife for good measure.

You come to my house to have food. I serve the food on obviously unclean dishes. Is that not rude as well? Do you just use the obviously dirty, nasty, used dishes out of not wanting to appear rude?

Do I just use chopsticks that will put splinters in my mouth just to not appear rude?

Re: A Japanese glossary of chopsticks faux pas (2022)

#347

Post by jacquesm »

pndy wrote: post #322
jacquesm wrote: post #274

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In English you can use 'sir' as an insult, which is quite creative.

It's possible in Polish to use "pan" in vocative "panie" form with strong vocal emphasis not followed by name or last name, to give it more rude sounding - but it won't be an insult.

Yes, true, I've heard that, it's like putting emphasis on the fact that you want someone to pay attention or something like that. A bit like the guy saying 'Sir!' in the Blues Brothers restaurant scene but not quite the same.

Re: A Japanese glossary of chopsticks faux pas (2022)

#348

Post by craftkiller »

the_gipsy wrote: post #343
craftkiller wrote: post #305

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is bonkers. Just cut the food with your non-dominant hand. If you're so weak that you cannot cut the food with your non-dominant hand then you're either a small child, elderly, or you have a medical condition.

Nonsense. If you can cut with your non dominant hand, then you can also spear and scoop with it.

Spear and scoop requires dexterity, hence the use of the dominant hand. Cutting is an extremely simple task with no special requirements.

Re: A Japanese glossary of chopsticks faux pas (2022)

#349

Post by B1FF_PSUVM »

ghaff wrote: post #234
Xixi wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure I'd put it down entirely to Osaka versus Kyoto. My impression is that these things often have at least as much to do with upbringing, formality, and social background as with region. I don't know where you're from, so apologies if this is an unfair assumption, but in countries like the US or Australia people often seem less attuned to social class, whereas in places like the UK, France, and indeed Japan,…

In general, upper-classish dining probably used to be more formal in the US in terms of cutlery type and placement and other things. May still be in some circles but no one I know worries about such things and even very decent restaurants don’t. And when was the last time you saw a fish fork?

> no one I know worries about such things

It went underground - those who know just note that you're nekulturny, and move on.

They don't bother telling you about it, nowadays nothing good would come of that.

Re: A Japanese glossary of chopsticks faux pas (2022)

#350

Post by bitwank »

Shank wrote: post #166
mmsc wrote: post #134

こすり箸 Kosuribashi: To rub waribashi (disposable chopsticks) together to remove splinters. I don't know about Japan, but everybody does this in Taiwan.

> I don't know about Japan It is definitely not appropriate. If you break the chop sticks and use them correctly your fingers will never touch the surface where there are splinters.

I always do it under the table; something I instinctively do without ever being told to. Now I wonder if I might have picked up on nonverbal cues at some point in the past. If I were someplace where chopsticks were the norm, I would probably just carry my own as I find the disposable wooden ones very off putting. I have to wonder if there is a rule about using your own chopsticks though.
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