Why Do the Chinese Use Chopsticks?

Chopsticks have been the go-to eating utensil in East Asia for the better part of three millennia. But why did they emerge there in the first place and (more importantly) why did they become popular?

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JK

[hetshepsuit]

I've lived in Taiwan for 20 years and this is the first decent explanation that I have gotten to that question. Well done.

[Luboman]

You forgot one pretty important fact as to why chopsticks were taken up in East Asia and no other major civilization took them up--bamboo. You can make lots and lots of cheap chopsticks with the plentiful bamboo that grows throughout China, Korea and Japan. Bamboo also has the added benefit of growing super-quickly, and can be cut easily into pieces very much resembling chopsticks. And that's why these countries and cultures took up chopsticks and no one else did--plentiful bamboo everywhere you go in the wet parts of East Asia.

[emperorofpluto]

The Cardinal Richelieu story reminds me of living in Spain in the 1980s - when dining, everyone had to keep both hands visible at all times to show your host that you're not aiming a gun at them under the table.

[ihavechocolate]

an italian dude saw me eating spaghetti with chopstick once. He asked me for a pair, and he was mind blown.

[mrgopnik]

Honestly, considering that the cardinal had to host a table for many powerful people, some of which would undoubtedly be his political enemies, it’s quite understandable that he wanted to keep potential assassination attempts off the table. (Pun intended)

[tantibusdraws]

Considering how straight forward, cheap and easy chopsticks are to make, I'm kind of surprise more cultures didn't invent them independently.

*Wow. Never imagined my comment would get this much attention. Here's some more detail on why I think the usage of chopsticks is straight forward

The reason I say straightforward is because you are literally using sticks to eat. Things that exist in nature and are everywhere. People have been skewering and cooking food on sticks for millennia. I don't think it's that much of a logical jump to take a small, relatively straight branch, with a knife clieve it into two halves. Carve them into crude kebob skewers, cook the food and later uses the sticks to wolf down a bowl of cooked grain.
As a kid, whenever I'd go into the woods, I'd do something like this. So I can easily imagine someone in the distant past doing this.

As an Asian living in Germany, I appreciate the versatitlity of chopsticks so much! You can stir/cook pasta, then eat it with the same chopsticks. You can pick chips, french fries/Pommes without using your fingers. Chopsticks are also so versatile when you want to grill something, too. Also, the same pair of chopstick can be used from during cooking until eating.

[Ryanflees]

Very interesting video about the chopsticks. I’ve known that China used to use forks and knives in the ancient times and switched to chopsticks. But I never thought about the reason of food behind it.

In a common Chinese household, we have chopsticks, and spoons as well.Spoon has been used throughout the history and is often forgotten probably because it’s too universal in all civilizations . 😂
Sometimes I prefer to use spoon as it’s easier to get the rice and small chunks of vegetables mixed.

[nguyenngocanspk]

The two reasons you mention are rice and large population are actually related. Rice is the reason why east Asia, especially south China and south east Asia, is so populous in the first place.

[glynislailann]

A pair of chopsticks is a multifunctional tool: one can eat with them; cook with them - beat eggs, extricate pasta from a pot as opposed to chasing it round the pot; use them to level out ingredients- measuring flour, baking powder; use them as a guide when rolling out cookie dough as the sticks are generally 1/4 inch in height. Etc etc.

[stephenmartin]

I just got home from eating at a favorite local chinese buffet. In addition to the regular knife, fork and spoon they have chopsticks available for those that prefer to use them. I often will use chopsticks since it adds to the ambience of eating at a Chinese restaurant. I still use the traditional knife, fork and spoon but chopsticks work and I have become somewhat of an expert at eating food by using chopsticks

[demorbe-official]

This has been on of the questions I have been asking my self for some good time but had failed to find the real answer to it.

Love how you explain things and make them easy to understand

[ThinWhiteAxe]

My mom is Viet and so I grew up with chopsticks in the house. Funny thing is I don't use them for eating all that often, but I use them almost exclusively when cooking. Stir, grab, even scoop in a limited capacity - chopsticks do it all. They also make great bone tools, back scratchers, rigging for toy creations of all descriptions, and magic wands, to name but a few alternative uses.

[whimai]

I absolutely adored the animation style, the script, everything is just so cheeky, and such high quality. Totally subscribing 👌

[waltof]

Please never stop uploading, you are so awesome man ... I was laughing my lungs out ... Wow, good stuff....

[deewesthill]

For most people outside of China, chopsticks are awkward to use. Food drops off of them too easily, and eating that way takes too long. Depending on what the food is, forks, skewers, toothpicks, small tongs, edible food wrappings like regular bread, tortillas, roti, or seaweed, inedible ones like leaves, husks, or napkins, spoons, or clean fingers are all better. However, i agree that sharp knives are dangerous for eating, worse than chopsticks, while table knives are almost useless for picking up food, although useful for cutting through soft stuff and spreading, or maybe for stirring a drink or soup if you have no spoon.

[dfruitziga]

3:03 non-Chinese food lover here, I got the epiphany on why I always thought that the food eaten with chopsticks is tastier. You see, many Chinese dishes are stir-fried, or at least they are coated with tasty sauces. Being cut in smaller slices, the seasoning covers more surface, hence the indulgence. Like it was said in the video, most Chinese foods spend less time on the fire, hence the freshness. At times, you can still feel the crunchiness of the vegetables, along with the meat broth and garlic and many other seasonings... ugh ... heaven! With the tiny grasp of the chopsticks, the flavor enters your mouth little by little (yeah, I try so hard not to use the chopsticks to shove away the meal like a starving person, no matter how starving I am), that feeling when your tongue dances along with the taste ... 100% blissful

[ankhdrassil]

Best explanation so far I've watched in YouTube! Thanks!
Anyway, the bowls are important too! In Chinese language, there's a term called WanKuai (碗筷), which means bowl and chopsticks.
The Chinese bowls are usually small at the bottom, with either slanted or curved wall. The design of the wall helps shoveling rice in to your mouth easier.. so you should always hold the bowl up (well, except if it's too big). Even when eating noodle, you can also just shovel the last few ones in to your mouth since it's already too hard to pick up using chopsticks. And since Chinese food are usually hot, so the tableware are made of porcelain to avoid hurting our hands ( bronze was used before the invention of porcelain).
The Koreans, however don't hold the bowls up as they think it looks like baggers bagging.. so their bowls are straight down without slanted or curved wall, making them standing more steadily on the table, and more capacity. And since porcelain is heavy and fragile, plus they don't hold up the bowls, they changed the material back to steel. It's light and doesn't break.

[py]

Forks and knives mean both hands are busy. Using chopsticks means I can eat with one hand. I can then use the other hand to play with my phone 😊

[Rashomon]

#1 reason - They are extremely effective when you learn how to use them. They’re like an extension of your hand. You can even cut food with them like scissors.