How to properly hold Japanese sticks: it's never too late to learn!

Recently, Japanese cuisine has become fashionable. And with it, and the traditional oriental table etiquette. Japanese sticks have become an indispensable attribute in any restaurant or sushi bar. For us, accustomed to the standard forks and spoons, eating rice or rolls with chopsticks is a real savagery. But it's never too late to learn. So, how to properly hold Japanese sticks?

A little history ...

Japanese sticks are an old, traditional device that is used in East Asia. They first appeared in ancient China. The legend says that they were invented by the ancestor of the Japanese and Chinese named Yu, who tried to get a piece of fatty meat from a hot and narrow pot. The correct name for chopsticks is kuaizi or hasi. Originally they were made from bone, but now wooden, more practical sticks are in demand. Rich people in the Middle Ages could afford to eat from silver appliances to avoid arsenic-poisoned food, because from it the precious metal darkens. In Japan and China, the sticks were decorated with carvings, jewelry, covered with enamel - this was a symbol of wealth. In the East, rods are a purely personal subject, which is inadmissible to transfer to other members of the family or friends. Therefore, restaurants and cafes serve disposable wooden or plastic equivalents - varibasi. As you can see, the history of this cutlery is ancient. So, how to properly hold Japanese sticks? For such a time, not only the etiquette, but also the rules for using such exotic things became more complicated.

How to properly hold Japanese sticks?

In restaurants and sushi bars, the hashi are connected. In order to use them, you must carefully separate them. The bottom of the sushi sticks is non-working - it is stationary while eating. The upper, dominant Hasi is the working one. So, the base of that stick, which is located below, is located between the index finger and the brush. Tighten the end firmly with your upper thumb to the nameless one. At the same time, the working (upper) hasi is held as a pen and manipulated freely by it. Now you know how to properly hold Japanese sticks. But do not forget about the rules of etiquette!

Etiquette and Hasi

Japanese restaurants in Moscow offer a huge assortment of dishes that you need to eat with Hasi. After all, Asian cuisine is a whole tradition, previously unknown to us. But there is little knowledge about how to keep Japanese sticks. It is necessary to observe the basic rules of Japanese etiquette:

• Do not leave Hasi and do not stick them into food (this is only done at funeral ceremonies).
• Do not lick the cutlery - this is the height of indecency.
• If you already deign to touch the stick with a piece of the dish - it must be eaten.
• Does a friend ask you to pass food through the table? Do not do this in any case. In Japan, this is not accepted.
• If you hold the hasi in your fist - this means your hostility. When eating, do not play them and do not move the dishes.
• Do not attract attention: quietly communicate and do not laugh loudly.

A bit about traditions

In Japan, each family has special supports for Hasi. They are collected and honored. In addition, the ability to eat Japanese chopsticks is very appreciated. For example, to recruit personnel to a hotel or restaurant, they hold a competition. Whoever will gather the beads faster than all the sticks can get not only a place of work, but also an additional bonus. Hasi is a whole culture. Learn to eat them properly, improve their skills at home, and you will understand why they are so revered in Asia.