Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-09-19
USE CHOPST|CKS
IN THE ORIENT
EATING IMPLEMENTS ARE GEN.
ERAllY HARD FOR AmERl.
CANS TO MANAGE.
They Serve Double Capacity Of Knives
and Forks.

AAopstiChS are ptCulldE 10 uotu
Japan and China. While the people
OF these countries can manipulate
them with the most marvellous deN
tsrity and precision. they are most
battling 10 the fingers OF a foreigner.
The oriental becomes accustomed to
them from infancy.
II may seem pulling 70 Americans
TO be told that chopsticks serve the
double capacity OF knife and fork in
the hands OF the oriental, but il Is
so, nevertheless There need. OF
course, be no special difficulty in the
hashi doing in place OF knife, ex.
cept in the case OF hard substances
like meat. 1t would naturally be
hopeless to eat a tough piece Of steak
or a recently killed chicken with
hashi. but the Japanese obyiate any
such awkward circumstances by hay.
Ing all meats cut up by the cook into
portions of proper size for the mouth.
while such edibles as fish and veg
etables are broken between the hashl
without serious difficulty.
The japanese can manipulate even
raw oysters from the shell with
haShi, an ordeal in which even the
most expert foreigner will probably
be discounted There is an Ameri-
can woman in Toxic, an old resident
of Japan and quite accustomed 10
japanese food. who still recounts
with evident regret an occasion when
she was obliged TO abstain from a
plate OF delicious fresh oysters set be-
fore her at big Japanese banquet
simply for fear OF eypc.. ner futile
efforts 10 take them with chopsticks,
while from the plates OF all the other
guests the bivalves disappeared as
readily as II picked up by birds.
Chopsticks are as various in Japan
as table knives and forks are in
western countries. Some are round,
others square. others again. hexa-
gonal. Some are made in tapping
shape, while others are the same size
at one end as at the other
Thu material from which they are
made also varies. There are chop
sticks Of gold, silver, ivory and wood,
most OF them being of the latter ma
terial as the cheapest and most clean
ly. Those in gold and silver often
have the handle made Of red sandal.
wood, ebony or cedar.
Each member OF the family has his
or her own hashi, which are used ex-
clusively by them. The hash used
by guests are usually of wood and
are never used again, the guest al
ways being treated to a brand new
pair.
The chopsticks used by the common
people are made OF cedar or willow,
the willow being usually round and
the cedar square Those of cedar are
OF two kinds: Waribashi and komo.
chibashi. the former socalled because
the hashi are split only half way down
and the user splits them the rest Of
the way for himself, being thus con
vinced that he is using them for the
first time, while the latter are much
the same as the former, only that q
toothpick is included. The hashi made
OF bamboo are for kitchen use, OF
are painted or lacQuered for table
use. and can be washed and used
again.
The standard length for chopsticks
is eight inches, but some are six and
others seven inches. In the imperia
household hashi Of willow are pre-
ferred, the length being eight inches
In the imperial family the same hash
are never used second time, and sc
willow wood is the most convenient
In recent years attempts have beer
made to produce hashi by machinery
but success has been only partial
most Of the people preferring those
that are hand made. The wood u
prepared and blocked out in the rura
districts and the hashi are finished
by the city dealers.
It is an interesting question
whether hash will ever be supplantet
by the western knife, fork and spoon
II is noticeable that when japanese
are served foreign food In restaurant
the knife, fork and spoon are oftel
placed beside the plate for use
desired and in most cases they ar
used. The Japanese take soup fron
a bowl and drink It directly fron
the bowl as Occidentals drink tea
go that spoon is not really neces
sary. But there are preparation
and dishes for which the spoon
obviously more adapted than tn
chopstick and in the presence 9
a real beefsteak the knife and for
are sheer necessity.
II foreigners cannot manipulat
chopsticks In a style to the manne
born, neither can Japanese so US
knives and forks. But many Japi
nese, especially those Of long res
dence in foreign lands, acquire a
most perfect mastery Of wester
table Implements and in this respet
may be said to show more care an
assiduity than the average foreig
resident OF japan does In regard
ehopsticks New York American.