Why do Eastern peoples eat with chopsticks?
:- Why do the Chinese eat with chopsticks?
- They gnawed the spoons like that.
But seriously:
In China, since ancient times it was believed that the one who makes chopsticks, by definition, cannot be bad. Confucius taught this. His motto: murder tools have no place dining table. Therefore, food should be cut into pieces before starting the meal. small pieces, and knives were not allowed at the table. At the emperor's court, preference was given to silver chopsticks. It was believed that they would turn black if they came into contact with poisoned food. Ordinary mortals, as a rule, ate with bamboo chopsticks. Wealthier people used appliances made from expensive types of wood - for example, mahogany. High-ranking officials were distinguished by sticks made of Ivory.
At the same time, from time immemorial it was believed that every self-respecting Chinese should have his own personal chopsticks, which should always be with him, preferably throughout his life. The loss of sticks, like breakage, meant a bad omen. If during a feast a person drops disposable chopsticks, then he continues the meal only after the waiter replaces them with a new pair. It is not customary to tap the edge of the bowl with chopsticks, as this is associated with begging. Sticking chopsticks vertically into a bowl of rice is also prohibited, as this resembles smoking sticks in a temple and symbolizes death. It is not recommended to move the sticks to the side. The expression "move aside the chopsticks" also signifies death. After eating, the chopsticks must be placed on a special stand, which sometimes represents no less valuable work of art than custom-made personal chopsticks. In addition, you need to eat with your right hand, turning it palm up. If the palm is turned down, it means that this person does not value his wealth. The farther from the ends a girl holds her chopsticks, the farther from home she will find a husband. In general, it is customary to give newlyweds exactly these cutlery, since this gift is perceived as a wish to quickly produce a son.
All these traditions have not changed for almost 35 centuries, and maybe more. Who exactly and when invented the first Chinese chopsticks - "kuai tzu" (these two hieroglyphs sound like the hieroglyph "quickly", but there is another translation - "bamboo") - history is silent. There are several beautiful legends, explaining how the mechanism of the sticks was invented. Two are considered the most plausible. The first tells about the stern Emperor Zhou Wang and his concubine Daji, who in reality lived about three thousand years ago. Knowing that the emperor was difficult to please at the table and was also afraid of poisoning, Daji was always the first to try the food. One day she did not have time to cool the hot dish - Zhou-wan was already preparing to eat it. At that moment, the quick-witted girl pulled out the jade hairpins from her hair, picked up a piece with them and began to blow strongly. When the dish cooled down a little, Daji treated it to the emperor. Zhou-wan liked the reception so much that he obliged Daji to always feed him only hairpins. Later, the concubine asked to make her a pair of longer jade hairpins - they are believed to have become the prototype for chopsticks.
A different version is common in northeast China. According to it, Emperor Shun, revered by the Chinese as one of the nation's major cultural heroes, ordered his dignitary Dayu (whose name translates to Great Yu and is credited with creating the first irrigation systems on the Yellow River) to quell the flood. For days on end, Yu fought against the natural disaster. Finally he decided to have a snack, boiling meat and rice. But I couldn’t taste the food right away because it was very hot. Not wanting to wait, Yu broke off a couple of thin branches. With their help, he removed a piece of meat from the vat, then blew on it and ate it.
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Traditionally, chopsticks are used not only in China, but also in Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. This means that more than a third of humanity eats with chopsticks, and that's not counting connoisseurs. oriental cuisine worldwide.
website I decided to figure out how this ancient tradition appeared and why it is alive to this day.
Tribute to the past
Metal chopsticks. Tang Dynasty (618−907), China.
Legend has it that chopsticks were invented by Yu the Great, the mythical ruler of China who allegedly lived in the 3rd millennium BC. e. They say that one day he simply broke off two branches from a tree in order to get hot meat from the cauldron and not get burned by the boiling water. Archaeologists, however, believe that sticks were invented much earlier - near 9,000 years ago. In a unique culture closed from the outside world, the tradition of eating with chopsticks has become so firmly established that it not only remains popular in the 21st century, but also acquires new meanings.
Philosophical approach
If we start from the traditional Chinese philosophy, then the fork and spoon are symbols of war, while sticks correspond to the teachings of Zen calling for non-violence. In addition, the two sticks, one held and the other moved, represent the passive yin element and the active yang element.
Even appearance The sticks say a lot: the narrow rounded end is the sky, and the widened square end is the earth. The fingers between the two sticks represent humanity, which feeds on heaven and earth. But that's not all! The traditional length of the stick is 7 Chinese cun (about 23 cm) and 6 fen (about 2 cm) - 7 feelings and 6 desires described in Buddhist theology.
Quality of food intake
While many of us have difficulty mastering chopsticks, the Chinese believe that eating with them is not only convenient, but also extremely healthy. Of course, forks and spoons simplify the process, but with chopsticks, eating can take longer. But this is their advantage: chopsticks allow you to eat slowly and deliberately, as a result of which the body absorbs food more easily.
In addition, you will be full earlier and end up eating less, because when spoon after spoon is sent into your mouth, the body simply does not have time to understand that it has received enough and demands more.
How to use chopsticks correctly
1. Clamp one of the sticks between the joint of the large and index finger. Hold it with your ring finger and thumb, and clasp your index and middle fingers together.
2. Place the second stick parallel to the first - on the phalanx at the base of the index finger, and hold it with your thumb and middle finger (almost like holding a pencil).
Main cutlery in China and Japan these are wooden chopsticks. However, they can be made from more durable materials: metal, plastic and ivory. The spoons and forks we are used to are not very common in the country. rising sun. If a deep spoon is used in these countries, it is only for drinking broth from soup, and a device such as a fork is traditional cuisine China and Japan simply do not exist. It is rare to meet a person in Russia who would eat at Everyday life with chopsticks. Most often, this opportunity appears when you come to a sushi restaurant. There you will definitely be offered cutlery to choose from. If you choose chopsticks, then at first glance they will seem ordinary to you, no different from the chopsticks that will be served in any Chinese or Japanese restaurant. But there are still differences, and quite significant ones. Types of chopsticks Chopsticks were invented in China and called them “kuaizi”. This means that this cutlery is made from bamboo. There is a legend that says that they were first used by a man who wanted to remove meat from a hot cauldron without burning his hands. Kuaizi was originally used exclusively for cooking, turning pieces over the fire. The first sticks were made from bamboo and wood. Chinese bamboo sticks are different from Japanese ones. They are longer and have square shape, which allows them not to roll on the table; at the other end they are round and several times thinner than at the other. Japanese chopsticks are thinner and shorter than Chinese chopsticks, and the ends with which you need to grab food are sharper. They are often disposable and made of bamboo and wood, while Chinese ones are often made of silver or bone. Even the name of Japanese chopsticks is different - “hashi”. Restaurants often serve disposable, polished sticks connected to each other. To start the meal, you need to break one from the other. But reusable sticks are decorated with patterns, painted in different colors and coated with varnish. Etiquette Chopsticks are used not only for grabbing pieces of food, they can be used to mix sauce or cut food, as dishes are often Thai cuisine soft and non-rigid. There are also special chopsticks for cooking, they are larger in size than kuaizi and are used mainly by Chinese cooks. At a Chinese table, everyone uses their chopsticks to take a piece from a large plate, so there is no need to be embarrassed if large dish you will not see a spoon with which you can put the piece you like on your plate. In China, it is not customary to turn your hands with chopsticks palms up - this is a gesture of disrespect. When you need to take a piece from a plate, you should hold the chopsticks with their sharp ends down at a right angle. It is a good sign of respect in China that the owner of the house will put a piece of some dish on your plate with his chopsticks. This means that he wants to please you and look after his guest. However, for Japanese table This is unacceptable. In Japan, the most common chopstick stands are placed on a given device with the sharp ends facing to the left of the person using them. But under no circumstances should you place your chopsticks across the plate. If there is no stand, it is better to place them on the edge of the plate or on the table. You should not twirl chopsticks at the table and try to draw something in the air with them or clench them in your fist; the first is considered uncivilized, the second can be perceived as a gesture of aggression.
Chinese cuisine is gaining popularity around the world, but what do we know about it? Chef Yu Qiang worked in Beijing at the State Department's Office of Affairs, at the Chinese Embassy in Berlin, and is now president of the Chinese Cultural Center, answers questions and debunks myths.
Myth #1: Food is very spicy. This is not entirely true. Since ancient times, Chinese cuisine has been divided into 8 regional trends, each with its own specific characteristics. Spices are a particularly revered part of Chinese cuisine. They significantly enrich the taste of food.
This is not to say that all Chinese food is spicy. For example, in the city of Hangzhou the food is sweet, but in the provinces of Xiuan the food is really very spicy,” he explains.
Myth No. 2: The Chinese combine incongruous things.
Only where it is justified from the point of view of taste and health benefits. For example, pork and pineapple are incompatible for a European, but we know that pineapple softens the meat, makes it juicier, and allows its taste, as well as the taste of pineapple, to be revealed richer.
Myth No. 3: they like to substitute tastes.
Yes, we have a tradition of using complex techniques by changing the taste of products. This is due to the climate, which varies greatly in different regions. It's hot in the south there good conditions for keeping livestock and people eat a lot of meat. To diversify the diet, add to meat various vegetables, so that it looks like fish or other meat. It is very cold in northern China and there is little choice of ingredients, so people also tend to change the taste of foods, which is good for digestion.
Myth No. 4: soy sauce - always and everywhere.
It is not true that the Chinese eat everything from soy sauce. There are many dishes white, no sauce. The sauce is added to certain dishes according to the recipe.
Myth #5: Chinese food difficult to cook at home. The expert admits that Chinese cuisine and it's really complicated. Many dishes require open fire, which is not easy to provide in a city apartment.
But Chinese cooking courses usually teach how to prepare dishes that can be repeated in electric stove. For example, these are mushrooms in butter, fried crispy lamb, onion pie, rack of pork ribs in sweet and sour sauce.
Myth No. 6: Products that the Chinese traditionally use are completely unsuitable for European understanding.
Each of the many peoples of our planet has its own dish, which differs both in the method of preparation and in the characteristics of consumption. Different nationalities prefer different cutlery: some like to eat with kuaizi, others with spoons and forks, and others with their hands.
Chinese medicine believes that consuming a particular product can affect the well-being of the body as a whole. Therefore, the Chinese eat in such a way as to have a beneficial effect on the respiratory system, digestive tract and slow down the aging of the body. In China, it is believed that if a person has pain in some organ, then when you eat the same animal organ, it is restored, and food becomes medicine. That's why we eat the eyes and other parts of the pig. Although, of course, food itself cannot be considered a panacea for illness, this is wrong.
In the south, in Guangdong, they can eat snake meat. There is an opinion that the Chinese eat insects. Few people know, but such components - distinguishing feature Thai cuisine. And in China, insects are a delicacy. The Chinese do not eat cats, and the tradition of eating dog meat remains only in some northern provinces, because their meat takes a long time to cool down and warms the body. These traditions were born when the country's economy was weak and people ate whatever they could find in the wild. But now a lot has changed in China.
Why do the Chinese eat with chopsticks? This question has plagued more than one generation of peoples of the Old World. A long time ago, at the dawn of civilization, the ancient inhabitants of the Celestial Empire ate with their hands, which was completely inconvenient: it was hot and their hands were constantly dirty. And then they took the sticks in their hands, which became, as it were, an extension of their fingers. Knives and forks are considered weapons - eating with weapons is unacceptable.
Alcohol is drunk mostly by men in China - beer and rice vodka herbal baiju at 60% ABV, as well as red wines from Shaoxing County.
Hashi (Japanese) is a traditional cutlery that the Japanese, as well as residents of Vietnam, Korea and China, use instead of the forks and spoons we are used to. The traditional material for khasi is wood, but bone, metal and, in modern times, plastic are also used.
According to archaeological excavations, the first chopsticks appeared in China about 3 thousand years ago, during the Shang era. In China, Khasi are called kuaizi and according to legend, they were invented by the legendary Emperor Yu when he wanted to get hot meat out of a cauldron.
Such sticks were about 37-38 cm in length and were later used as kitchen utensils, while the chopsticks intended directly for eating food were shortened to 25 cm.
Kuyazi came to Japan in the 12th century, was made from bamboo and over time turned into works of art - they were painted, varnished and even inlaid with mother-of-pearl. There is no shame in giving such sticks as a gift!
Which, in general, is what the ancient Japanese (and modern ones too) did; in particular, they often give hashi to newlyweds, wanting to be just as inseparable. It also happens that the Khasis give an individual pair to each family member, making family gift sets.
The already mentioned bamboo, cypress, maple and plum are especially often used as materials, and hasi can be either round or square in cross-section.
For the Japanese, chopsticks are not just a household item; many signs and legends are associated with them. For example, it is said that one of the inventors of hashi was Rikyo, the founder of the tea ceremony.
Once he went into the forest for branches and brushwood, and cleared a couple of branches because he wanted to enjoy the smell of fresh wood. You should also know that chopsticks are a personal item and it is not customary to give them to someone to “use” - there are disposable hashi for this.v
From an early age, children are taught to use chopsticks, as the Khashi train the fine muscles of the arms, which develop mental abilities. The “First Chopsticks” holiday is associated with this moment: when the baby turns one hundred days old, he is given the first taste of rice from his personal hashi.
Of course, babies are still too small to eat further on their own: little Japanese begin to eat with chopsticks soon after their first year and, according to scientists, are ahead in development of those of their peers who were unable to part with a spoon.
There is a special stand for chopsticks - hasioki, on which it is customary to place the chopsticks with their thin ends so that they point to the left. If there is no hasioka on the table, the chopsticks can be placed directly on the table or leaned against the cup with their thin ends.
You should not place chopsticks across the cup - this is one of the differences between Japanese table etiquette and Chinese, where such a gesture means that the eater is full and no longer wants more. More detailed rules The use of hashi can be read in the article “Some rules of table manners in Japan.”
In restaurants, as a rule, hashi (disposable, of course) is served in a special case - hashibukuro, which, with proper decoration, can also become a real work of art - to match the chopsticks themselves. Very often, disposable sticks should be broken before use, because they are not cut all the way through.
A certain funny superstition is also associated with this ritual: if the sticks broke “uncleanly,” that is, one, say, broke off not in the middle (where it should), but “giving” the second stick the common top, then the owner will face not the most pleasant events . Also, after separating the sticks, they should be rolled against each other so as not to get a splinter.
Khasis are also used in recruitment tests, for example, chip and LCD display manufacturers have potential workers collect scattered beads with chopsticks. Hashi is also used in martial arts: when thrown correctly, such a stick can easily pierce solid objects.
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