how to use chopsticks

• Confused? Let’s look at it another way. Take two pens. Hold one like you normally would, between your thumb, index and middle finger. Okay, now take the second pen and slide it underneath that one. Now make the top pen go up and down.
• The two extremely popular designs for foreigners are the chopsticks engraved with Peking Opera masks or those decorated with the Chinese zodiac animals," he says, adding that Chinese patrons prefer chopsticks engraved with golden dragons, phoenix patterns or Chinese surnames for gifts.
• some young people, especially girls, buy chopsticks as a gift to their close single friends or even for themselves to say goodbye to their single life as soon as possible

• Using your chopstick like a flagpole, and sticking it down into your rice so it stands up… also not cool, which should be readily apparent to anyone older then three years of age. • Don’t wave your sticks around when you talk. Would you do that with your soup spoon? Didn’t think so. • Last but not least – don’t spear your food and pick it up with your chopsticks. You might think nobody is watching, but trust me, someone always spots you when you’re behaving like Jungle Jim on a first date.
• Well, etiquette and style matter too – especially if you’re dining with a Japanese person. Follow these rules and you won’t go wrong in that area: • Don’t suck your chopsticks. It’s kinda gross. • If you’re holding your chopsticks, don’t pick up a bowl without putting the sticks down. That’s kinda like grabbing for the ketchup while still holding your fork – definitely uncool. • Passing food from your sticks to someone else’s? Nice party trick, bad party form.
• Ornately decorated chopsticks have been a favorite for European tourists and airport gift shops are filled with a colorful array of these souvenirs.
• More than 30 percent of the world uses chopsticks and these simple eating utensils have been placed on Asian dinner tables for thousands of years. But these icons of Chinese culture are today also acting as special presents with special symbolic meaning. And the younger generation also wants to cut down on the estimated 45 billion pairs of wooden chopsticks dumped in rubbish bins each year.
• "The chopsticks say that husband and wife will always be a pair and will never be apart.
• chopsticks bear a similar Chinese pronunciation to that of happiness." • Chopsticks in Mandarin is kuai zi (筷子) and happiness is kuai le (快乐).
• Step one: Take the upper chopstick and rest it on your hand slightly higher than you would hold a pen – with your index finger, middle finger and thumb holding it at the same point, about two thirds of the way down the chopstick. A good rule of thumb is that your index finger should run along the top side of the chopstick, your middle finger should support it on the bottom, and your thumb is there on the side to ensure it doesn’t roll onto the table. •
• Step two: The second chopstick runs underneath that, going from the webbing of your hand down to your ring finger. That means your ring finger supports it and keeps it in place, while the top chopstick moves up and down to meet it when you move your index finger and thumb.
• You really have to master the art of using chopsticks if you visit China. In every restaurant, you will be provided with chopsticks instead of forks and knives. Don't be frightened. They are easy to use. Use your thumb and the fourth finger to grip one stick and your forefinger and middle finger to grip and control the other stick. After practicing a while, you will be able to pick up pieces of food. If you are able to pick up a bean with chopsticks, this means that you have "graduated". If you cannot use them, you can always ask for fork and knife in a tourist restaurant. But in ordinary restaurants, you may be told that they do not have them. If you are worried about it, take your own small folk with you.