Some technologies are so common that we almost always take them for granted, using them without so much as giving them a second thought. Eating utensils are such technologies. Forks, in fact, did not come into widespread use in the United States until the early 19th century although they were in use in Europe 200 years earlier. Chopsticks are first mentioned in the writing of Liji, compiled about 2,000 years ago, but they undoubtedly date to a much earlier time. Chinese and Japanese traditions generally confine the use of knives to the kitchen, using spoons for eating certain foods, but not using forks at all.
Eating utensils embody a number of technologies.
Materials are a key element. The invention of stainless steel in the 20th century facilitated the development of relatively inexpensive table knives, for example. Silver is still widely used, but it is now prized mainly for its esthetic value rather than its functional advantages. Chinese chopsticks may be made of bamboo, wood, plastic, or even ivory, gold, or silver. They tend to be blunt ended, while those favored in Japan generally taper to a point.