1/3 of the world's population or approximately 2.26 billion people around the world know how to use chopsticks - http://www.chacha.com/question/how-many-people-in-the-world-use-chopsticks.
That is an astounding figure! My mom tells me that I first started using chopsticks when I was 2 years old. And my first pair looked something like this -
That is an astounding figure! My mom tells me that I first started using chopsticks when I was 2 years old. And my first pair looked something like this -
We talked about the invention of chopsticks in class and how versatile they are and I would have to agree. So I started doing some research about who invented the chopsticks and how long they've been in existence.
HISTORY
The Chinese have been wielding chopsticks since at least 1200 B.C. and by A.D. 500, they had swept the Asian continent from Vietnam to Japan. The ruins of Yin in Henan Province, China provide the earliest examples of the first known chopsticks which were bronze ones found in tombs at the site. Capable of reaching deep into boiling pots of water or oil, chopsticks were mainly used for cooking. It wasn't until A.D. 400 that people started using chopsticks as utensils. Cooks needed to develop cost-saving habits, so they started chopping food into smaller pieces which then enabled the use of chopsticks to be used as utensils as well. Confucius had a hand in promoting the use of chopsticks. As a vegetarian, he believed that that sharp utensils such as knives would remind eaters of the slaughterhouse and that knives would evoke violence and warfare. Different cultures eventually adopted different chopstick styles. In Japan, chopsticks used to be 8 inches long for men and 7 inches long for women. The Japanese in 1878 were the first to create the now well-known disposable set of chopsticks. The use of chopsticks has expanded widely to virtually all the East Asian countries.
-- www.history.com/news/hungry-history/a-brief-history-of-chopsticks
PRODUCT, SERVICE, PROCESS, IDEA or TECHNOLOGY
I would say that the invention of chopsticks could actually fall in 2 categories - new product and new idea. Back in Ancient China, the first use of these long pieces of wood was to enable easier cooking in a vat of water or oil. It was a practical way of ensuring the cooking method was efficient.
The use of chopsticks became a new idea when Confucius believed that using chopsticks as a utensil would promote more harmony at the table. Since then, chopsticks have been used for both cooking and as a utensil.
The use of chopsticks widely around the world and especially in Asian countries has marked the transition of civilization to food culture. Chinese ancestors used to steam or boil food and it was difficult for them to use spoons to dip vegetables in the soup or to use their hands, which was also very common at the time. Also, the invention of chopsticks is also quite scientific, as it utilizes the lever principle of mechanics. The point where the 2 sticks cross is the pivot of the lever and this enables food objects to be picked up and transported.
-- www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/cuisine_drink/cuisine/chopsticks.htm
HOW HAS THIS AFFECTED ME?
I hadn't given chopsticks a lot of thought until this assignment. But I would have to agree that this somewhat simple utensil that has been long steeped in my culture is probably the most efficient utensil in the world today. If you think about it, chopsticks can serve as a fork, knife and spoon as illustrated below:
Fork
Chopsticks can be used to pick up any size of food item, from a small pea to an entire piece of steak. In the picture below, chopsticks can be used to eat a salad.
-- www.lifehacker.com/ditch-the-fork-use-chopsticks-to-eat-your-salad-1073712932
HISTORY
The Chinese have been wielding chopsticks since at least 1200 B.C. and by A.D. 500, they had swept the Asian continent from Vietnam to Japan. The ruins of Yin in Henan Province, China provide the earliest examples of the first known chopsticks which were bronze ones found in tombs at the site. Capable of reaching deep into boiling pots of water or oil, chopsticks were mainly used for cooking. It wasn't until A.D. 400 that people started using chopsticks as utensils. Cooks needed to develop cost-saving habits, so they started chopping food into smaller pieces which then enabled the use of chopsticks to be used as utensils as well. Confucius had a hand in promoting the use of chopsticks. As a vegetarian, he believed that that sharp utensils such as knives would remind eaters of the slaughterhouse and that knives would evoke violence and warfare. Different cultures eventually adopted different chopstick styles. In Japan, chopsticks used to be 8 inches long for men and 7 inches long for women. The Japanese in 1878 were the first to create the now well-known disposable set of chopsticks. The use of chopsticks has expanded widely to virtually all the East Asian countries.
-- www.history.com/news/hungry-history/a-brief-history-of-chopsticks
PRODUCT, SERVICE, PROCESS, IDEA or TECHNOLOGY
I would say that the invention of chopsticks could actually fall in 2 categories - new product and new idea. Back in Ancient China, the first use of these long pieces of wood was to enable easier cooking in a vat of water or oil. It was a practical way of ensuring the cooking method was efficient.
The use of chopsticks became a new idea when Confucius believed that using chopsticks as a utensil would promote more harmony at the table. Since then, chopsticks have been used for both cooking and as a utensil.
The use of chopsticks widely around the world and especially in Asian countries has marked the transition of civilization to food culture. Chinese ancestors used to steam or boil food and it was difficult for them to use spoons to dip vegetables in the soup or to use their hands, which was also very common at the time. Also, the invention of chopsticks is also quite scientific, as it utilizes the lever principle of mechanics. The point where the 2 sticks cross is the pivot of the lever and this enables food objects to be picked up and transported.
-- www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/cuisine_drink/cuisine/chopsticks.htm
HOW HAS THIS AFFECTED ME?
I hadn't given chopsticks a lot of thought until this assignment. But I would have to agree that this somewhat simple utensil that has been long steeped in my culture is probably the most efficient utensil in the world today. If you think about it, chopsticks can serve as a fork, knife and spoon as illustrated below:
Fork
Chopsticks can be used to pick up any size of food item, from a small pea to an entire piece of steak. In the picture below, chopsticks can be used to eat a salad.
-- www.lifehacker.com/ditch-the-fork-use-chopsticks-to-eat-your-salad-1073712932
Spoon
Chopsticks can be used as a spoon. The most common way is when we use chopsticks to "spoon" rice from the bowl into our mouth.
-- www.nypost.com/2015/02/13/9-tips-on-how-not-to-be-a-terrible-american-overseas/
Knife
Chopsticks can also be used as a knife. Most people haven't thought about this use, but we often squeeze food together to separate them into smaller bites, such as when we are eating noodles or soup dumplings.
-- www.yelp.com/biz/teo-chow-noodle-shack-fremont