■Chopsticks
Chinese simply use chopsticks at the table rather than knife and fork since Chinese people, under cultivation of Confucianism, consider knife and fork bearing some relation to violence, like cold weapons. However, chopsticks display gentleness and benevolence, which is the main moral teaching of Confucianism.
Generally believed to have its origins in ancient China, chopsticks are small tapered sticks which are used in pairs of equal length. They are usually made of bamboo or plastic, but are also made of metal, bone, ivory, and various types of wood. How to hold the chopsticks is the course the foreigners have to learn. First, place the first chopstick so that thicker part rests at the base of your thumb and the thinner part rests on the lower side of your middle fingertip. Then, move your thumb forward so that the stick will be firmly trapped in place. At least two or three inches of the top chopstick should stretch beyond your fingertip. Next, place the other chopstick so that it is held against the side of your index finger by the end of your thumb. Finally, check whether the ends of the chopsticks are level. If not, then hit the thinner parts gently on the plate to make them be even.
When communal chopsticks are provided with shared plates of food, it is considered ill-mannered to use your own chopsticks to get the food from the shared plate or eat using the communal chopsticks. An exceptional case to this rule is in intimate family dinners where family members may not mind the use of one’s own chopsticks to pick up food. The blunt end of the chopsticks is sometimes used to bring food from a common dish to your own plate or bowl (but never your mouth).
There are some taboos that you should follow when you use chopsticks at the table:
◇Don’t use the chopsticks to point at another person. This is considered to humiliate that person and is a major faux pas.
◇Don’t wave your chopsticks around as if they were an extension of your hand gestures.