Since arriving in HK, I have discovered that I have broken many rules on the use of chopsticks. There are Japanese rules and rules that apply to the Chinese. .. . and there are lots of rules. So here is what I have discovered.

The Chinese invented chopsticks for eating, and they have been around a lot longer than spoons and forks. The knife is older but it was used as a weapon, not for eating. Chopstick use got a further boost when Confucius considered the knife and fork to be violent and chopsticks to reflect gentleness and benevolence. So, the belief in Confucianism pretty much banned instruments used for killing from the dining table. That also explains why Chinese/Japanese food is always chopped into bite size before it reaches the table. (Of course, that does not explain why the chopped chicken pieces still have bones. I pretty much avoid those dishes. I just can't get used to the idea of spitting out bones. There are times when a knife would make it so much easier!)

One of the mistakes I recently made was drinking the hot tea when it was first brought to the table. You’re saying right now, what’s was wrong with that? Well, when a large empty bowl is set in the middle of the table, you are suppose to first “clean” your tea cup, plate, rice bowl, and chopsticks with the tea by rinsing/pouring tea over these items and discarding the tea in that large bowl. RL told me too late that I was committing a faux pas. I bet the waiter had a good laugh!

Here are more rules---
Don’t use your chopsticks to shift dishes around.

Don’t wave your chopsticks about in the air while trying to decide what to eat next or as gesture during talking. Don’t lift your index finger off of the chopsticks either. Just generally understand that pointing is bad.

Don’t rummage about in the food looking for the tastiest morsel.

Don’t pick up a dish with the hand that is holding the chopsticks.

Don’t lick them or spear food with the points. (Darn, my favorite trick eating with chopsticks!)

Don’t hold the chopsticks with your fist, since this appears as if they are being held as a weapon.

In situations where you are taking from a common food dish or if you are serving someone, serve using the opposite end of the chopsticks (the end which doesn't touch your mouth.) I find it is best just to ask for another set up chopsticks or a spoon and use them only for serving.

Don’t tap your chopsticks on the side of your rice bowl (it simulates a beggar asking for money).

Don’t tap your chopsticks on the table to even them up. Tap them in your palm.

When served a whole fish, do not turn it over. (RL says there is a way to do this, but I just wouldn't go there.)

You shouldn't hold your chopsticks too close to the food end. The further you can hold your chopsticks away from the picking up end the more "cultured and refined" you appear to be.

Don’t pull that stringy bok choy stalk out of your mouth with your fingers, use your chopsticks (easier said than done).

To eat noodles, pick them up with your chopsticks, bite down, then use your chopsticks to “capture” the remaining noodles and return them to your bowl.

Do not rub wooden chopsticks together to remove splinters. If you see a splinter, remove it with your fingers.

Raise your rice bowl close to your mouth and shovel the rice into your mouth with your chopsticks, don’t leave the bowl on the table.

Do not cross your chopsticks. (Crossed chopsticks are, however, permissible in a dim sum restaurant. The waiter will cross them to show that your bill has been settled, or you can do the same to show the waiter that you have finished and are ready to pay the bill.)

Do not lay your chopsticks parallel on top of your rice bowl—it sends the message that you are dissatisfied with your meal. It also is considered a sign of bad luck.

Several no-nos that have to do with death (not good for the digestion)--

Don’t stick your chopsticks upright into your bowl of rice (looks like the way incense is presented at a funeral and it also looks like a tombstone)

Don’t pass food from your chopsticks to another person's chopsticks. Place the food down on a plate to transfer. (This is like the passing of bones among the family after someone has been cremated. I guess they do that.)

When you lay your chopstick down, make sure they are even. If one appears longer than the other, it recalls a Chinese idiom “three longs and two shorts”, a reference to how traditional Chinese coffins are made.

Do not drop your chopstick on the floor. Ancestors sleep underground after death and dropping things like chopsticks could scare them and wake them up.

And finally, a very useful tip from RL’s China experience—if the chopsticks come in a paper sleeve, save it. You can fold it up and use it to rest your chopsticks on while eating so that your chopsticks don’t touch the table if you are not provided a "rest". When finished with your meal, you can return your used chopsticks back into the paper wrapper half way and then fold the end up…Voila! (oops, that's French..)

Example of a Cantonese Teen Daily Diet

Posted recently in the South China Morning Post was the typical daily diet of James Chim Wai-chiu, age 17:

Breakfast: Instant noodles; water

Lunch: Bowl of rice, half a bowl of vegetables, half a bowl of meat

Dinner: Bowl of rice, half a bowl of vegetables, half a bowl of meat

Eating out with friends: Cafe de Coral (Asian fast food)--baked pork chop with rice, red bean fleecy (an ice drink made with red beans)

It was recommended by the SCMP dietitian that he needed more fish, fruit, and dairy products. She suggested changing the instant noodles for udon, soba or rice noodles and adding left-over vegetables from dinner. Also he should add a glass of milk or calcium-fortified soy milk with a piece of fruit. That's it! A picture of James shows a very thin Asian kid. He must be doing something right....