Having grown up using a knife and fork, I have always been fascinated by chopsticks. I am often amazed at how skilled the local people are in using these utensils.

I, on the other hand, spend most of my meal trying to decide which will be the easiest dish to pick up without dropping my food all over me. I was therefore alarmed to find out that there is etiquette for chopstick usage.

Considering that I spend all my dinners trying to pick up anything in anyway possible this came as distressing news to me. How was I ever suppose to get the hang of these instruments and not offend my hosts in the process? It seemed highly unlikely.

Diligently I went about researching the correct practice of these eating instruments in the hope at the very least to understand a different culture and make an effort to embrace it.

The origins of the ubiquitous Asian eating utensil are rather difficult to ascertain. The first mention of chopsticks goes back to the Shang dynasty (c. 16th century - 11th century BC). One story maintains that chopsticks were first put into use after a Chinese emperor forbade the use of eating utensils at his dinner table. This seems pretty unlikely, however, and the truth is probably that they were invented to act as an extension of the fingers, allowing for a better grasp. The first term used in reference to chopsticks meant "helpful". This has evolved in more modern Chinese dialects as kuai-zi ("fast" or "agile").

What of the rules though? The first rule of chopsticks use is hold them at the end and not in the middle or the front third. When you have finished eating place them in front of you with the tips to the left. Try not to drop them, as this is sign of bad luck. If your chopsticks are placed unevenly this will indicate that you are likely to miss a boat or plane.

Spearing your food in an attempt to grip it properly is frowned upon as is sticking chopsticks into your food, especially rice. Only at funerals are chopsticks stuck into the rice that is put onto the altar. It is also not advisable to pass food from your chopsticks directly to someone else's chopsticks. The bones of cremated bodies are given in this way from one person to another.

While it might seem like a good idea to use your chopsticks to point at something you want this is very rude as is waving them around and playing with them. Moving around bowls using them does seem like a simple way to place the food you want in front of you but this too is unacceptable. "Chopstick fencing" is also a big "no no" and is likely at best to cause a mess and at worst result in the loss of an eye. Licking or biting your sticks is considered barbaric, as is fishing around for the best pieces in a serving dish.

If you really want to impress the waiters in a Chinese restaurant eat rice from a bowl the way the Chinese do: raise the rice bowl with one hand and perch the edge of the bowl on your lower lip. Hold the chopsticks together with the other hand, and "shovel" the rice into your mouth, being careful not to spill grains on the floor. In Chinese custom, rice symbolizes life's blessings, so it is important to suck them in with gusto rather than pick away at them.

While using a knife and fork does sometimes just seem a whole lot easier, chopsticks with all their tradition and history adds that something extra to the meal. I do fear however that getting my food from Point A to Point B could be a major accomplishment let alone practising proper etiquette!

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