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Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Formal Chinese Dining - which chopsticks to use?

Some people get stressed over formal Western Dining. Which fork and which spoon do I use? We know that it is relatively simple, start from the outside in...

But if you are in a more formal chinese dining, which pair of chopsticks do you use?



Chinese food is usually communal and not individually served. So, there needs to be two pairs of chopsticks. Which pair to use? Well, the steel pair is for your personal use, ie put food into your mouth. The black pair it to take food from the main plates to your own plate or bowl.

I recently went back to this restaurant that has this not very common double chopsticks thingy. If you would like to see what I ate, click here.


Today's my sis' birthday. Happy Birthday Dearest Sis!

9 comments:

ro_pumpkin said...

great pictures !
never been to crystal jade ... too expensive for me ... hahaha
i miss singapore
hey , terminal 3 is ready ? wow
i have to tell you that i will be glued to your other site , the "makan" one . one of these days i will have to check it out extensively
did i tell you that i miss singapore and singapore food ? hahaha

Neva said...

hmmmm I had a Korean live with me while she was in school....and I have steel set of chopsticks and a spoon for soup....I loved learning how to use the chopsticks. Nice picture.

Olivier said...

Un Joyeux anniversaire à ta Sis's (je pense que c'est ta Sœur). Belle photo, très graphique, mais pour moi les baguettes c'est l'horreur, je suis d'une maladresse avec ;o)
A Happy Birthday to your Sis's (I think it is your Sister). A beautiful picture, very graphic, but for me it chopsticks horror, I am with a clumsiness ;O)

Anonymous said...

Mmmm ... yes, I have often wondered about the chopsticks protocol.

Question ... what about the porcelain spoons - are they to deliver food into your bowl or can they be used to stuff the fodder into your mouth ?

• Eliane • said...

Happy b-day Keropok's sis!!

I love this post. Now I understand those spoons! I've seen the spoon on which the pairs of chopsticks and the big spoon are displayed before. I always wondered what the ondulations in the handle were for. It now makes perfect sense! :)

Waldo Oiseau said...

Very interesting. I had no idea about the two sets of chopsticks, but it makes sense!

Excellent photo.

Unknown said...

ro_pumpkin,
T3 not officially open yet. in jan 2008 :-)

neva,
korean chopsticks are heavy right?

olivier,
Try chopsticks, it makes eating fun!

john,
porcelain spoons is to feed yourself :-)

eliane,
:-)

Waldo,
thanks too!

Ming the Merciless said...

This is the first time I've seen or heard a duo chopstick deal. :-)

But your explanation makes sense. Chinese dining is a very communal activity. So there should be two pairs of chopsticks.

Unknown said...

ming,
not very widespread, but there are places that have them :-)


but usually, we still just use our own pair of chopsticks to take food. most of the time, we eat with family :-)