Simplify the following text for a Grade 9 native English-speaking person.
Original: Chopsticks are small , often tapered , sticks used in pairs of equal length as the traditional eating utensils of China and its diaspora , Japan , Korea , Vietnam and Northern provinces of Laos , Thailand and Burma .
Simplified: Chopsticks are sticks used in pairs as eating utensils . Chopsticks are the traditional eating utensils of some countries including China , Japan , Korea , Taiwan , and Vietnam .