The Final
Essay
‘CHOPSTICKS'
Mr. Don Oram
Akane Horikawa
November 24,
2000
Japan has a unique culture, for example, Japanese language,
Japanese healthy food, Japanese traditional houses, Japanese traditional dance
Kabuki, and Japanese traditional poetry Haiku. In this essay, I would like to
introduce one of Japanese culture, chopsticks, to you. What are chopsticks?
Today, some Asians such as Chinese, Korean and Japanese use chopsticks when
cooking and eating. Usually, they are made of bamboo. Chopsticks are divided
into two sticks, and used with some fingers. I will talk about the functions,
history, and good and bad effects of chopsticks.
Chopsticks have a long
history:
“First, in Yayoi Age (B.C.500~A.C.300), in China and the Korean
Peninsula, primitives began to use fire, but they could not touch hot food. That
is why they began to use chopsticks as a tool to cook and eat with. Second, from
the end of Yayoi Age (in the late 3rd Century) to Aska Age (593~710), chopsticks
were introduced to Japan as a tool of gods. In those days, the figure of
chopsticks was different from today’s style. It looked like a pin set. After
many years later, however, it was changed to today’s style: two pieces of woods
like sticks. The people treated chopsticks only for gods and an emperor. Third,
from Nara Age (710~784) to Edo Age (1600~1867), chopsticks began to be used
among the nobility and the common people. Around these ages, bamboo chopsticks
began to become common. Forth, at the middle of Edo Age, as people began to
compete with each other in the lacquer ware industry, various lacquer chopsticks
were produced. At the end of this Age, rich people began to use such kinds of
chopsticks to show their own status. Fifth, from Maiji Age (1968-1912) to the
middle of Showa Age (1926-1989), the main of home disciplines for children is
how beautiful they can use chopsticks. Most people brought up in those days can
use chopsticks correctly. Sixth, at the end of Showa Age, people began to count
chopsticks as cheap products and as European and American culture flew into
Japan, fewer people used chopsticks. Moreover, the number of children who could
use them correctly began to decrease rapidly because nuclear families began to
increase. Finally, the situation after Showa Age continued until now.”
(HYOZAEMON, http://www.hyozaemon.co.jp/ )
Why chopsticks have been used for
such a long time? At the beginning of Maiji Age, Japanese began to introduce
forks, knives, and spoons into our daily lives. However, why do we still use
chopsticks? There is an important but simple reason. As you know, knives help us
cut something hard; spoons help us scoop soup; forks help us stick and hold
something hard. These European tools have just a few functions fitting each
figure. On the other hand, chopsticks have about 15 functions. “These are some
examples:
-Help us hold something slippery like Udon
-Help us bring
something to our mouths
-Help us pick up something small like beans
-Help
us scoop something soft like Tofu
-Help us gather rice and wrap rice with
seaweeds
-Help us cut something soft
-Help us push and break something
like simmered dishes
-Help us cut a skin of fish up”
(The Society for the
Study of Japanese Food,
http://www.wasyokuken.com/konna/hashi03.html )
As
you see it, chopsticks are very useful tools even though they are just two
sticks. Therefore, chopsticks can survive even after many years passed.
Next,
why are chopsticks considered part of Japanese culture? As I showed you, they
have an important and long history and the manner when using chopsticks has
become important. Even today, people sometimes regard someone who can use
chopsticks correctly as a well-mannered and cultivated person. Now, how can we
use chopsticks correctly? First of all, I have to tell you how to hold them.
“First, put one stick between your thumb and forefinger, support the middle of
the chopstick with your third finger. Second, support both sticks with your
thumb. Third, move the upper stick with your thumb, forefinger, and middle
finger to hold and pick up food.” (HYOZAEMON, http://www.hyozaemon.co.jp/) You
must be ready to learn how to move chopsticks. “Please hold the lower stick
tightly and move only the upper one without moving the lower. You should use
1.5~3 cm higher point from the points of sticks to keep them as clean as
possible.” (HYOZAEMON, http://www.hyozaemon.co.jp/) It is the end. Do you think
it is very easy to use or not? Even Japanese cannot use them very well, so to
use chopsticks may be very difficult for you to learn. When you begin to use
chopsticks, you have to know some taboos.
“-You must not stick food
-You
must be careful not to drop liquid from the points of chopsticks
-You must
not use chopsticks to call someone
-You must not move above food to find out
something you want to eat
-You must not stir soup with chopsticks to find out
something you want to eat
-You must not pull dishes near you with
chopsticks
-You must not point out someone with chopsticks
-You must not
pass food from your chopsticks to someone’s chopsticks”
(HYOZAEMON,
http://www.hyozaemon.co.jp/)
Some of them have special reasons. For example,
you must not stab on rice because we do that when we pray for the dead. We have
to keep our mind in our childhood. Maybe, these taboos make it difficult for
people to use chopsticks correctly.
As you see it, chopsticks are not just
two sticks. They have a long history, special functions, and taboos. I have
heard that using chopsticks makes good effects on our brains because moving our
fingers carefully stimulates our brains. I told you good things of chopsticks.
However, there is a bad point. These days, many people use disposable wooden
chopsticks, and a large number of woods have been thrown away. This became an
environmental problem. However, “some organizations have begun to recycle
disposable wooden chopsticks. For example, Environmental Volunteer group in
Tokushima is collecting used disposable wooden chopsticks. 6 chopsticks can be
one piece of A4 sheet. 5,000 can be 15 boxes of tissues.” (Environmental
Volunteer Group in Takushima, http://www.tcn.ne.jp/~themoon/ippokai/index.html)
Though there are some problems, I don’t want to lose this unique and wonderful
culture. I hope that more foreigners recognize that chopsticks are one of
wonderful Japanese culture.
References
-HYOZAEMON
-The Society for the Study of Japanese Food
-Environmental Volunteer Group in
Taushima
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