# can you eat with chopsticks?



## probably offline (Oct 8, 2012)

Just curious.



Bonus question for those who voted yes:

Do you choose chopsticks over knives and forks when both options are available?


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## Paper Samurai (Oct 1, 2009)

Yes, but I've always preferred a knife and fork when given the option.


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## aaaa1111bbbb2222cccc3333 (May 10, 2015)

I choose chopsticks.


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## Mxx1 (Feb 3, 2015)

Yes, after eating a lot of sushi i have somehow learned how to eat with chopsticks, but i always prefer fork and knives if it's available.


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## Amphoteric (Sep 11, 2011)

Yes.



> Do you choose chopsticks over knives and forks when both options are available?


Depends on the dish.


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## gopherinferno (Apr 7, 2009)

I can try. But if I'm hungry, I am not trusting chopsticks to efficiently shovel food into my mouth. I want a fork or a spoon the size of Texas for that job.


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## Fangirl96 (Apr 13, 2015)

I've never used chopsticks. My dinners aren't exiting enough for that :sigh


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## Vuldoc (Sep 8, 2011)

Yes. When both options are available (I'm assuming the food is chopsticks friendly, can't eat a full size steak without a knife and fork to cut it up) I'll go with the chopsticks.


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## indiscipline (May 24, 2015)

You bet. Except when it's yoghurt (for which my preference is knife and fork). 

I prefer eating with my mouth though, overall.


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## twitchy666 (Apr 21, 2013)

*All spoon for me*

very occasionally a fork for noodles. Knife to cut apples, veg or meat.

A bowl for me. No flat plate - sick of chasing rice around. Lots of wet stuff. 
No mopping up with knife 'n fork

I don't like utensils in each hand. One hand to hold down the object down. Then a knife.

I love a story of a school exchange pupil who struggled with knife 'n fork
and the English family did with chopsticks.

I do retrieve dropped stuff using lip suction: peas, liquid, crumbs of cookies.

I stopped with bread as a way to hold. It all falls apart too much.

Sushi is finger food. Gave up, as I made a mess of it. I beat the addiction


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## Cashel (Oct 29, 2013)

I can, but it sure aint pretty.

I would never choose the chopsticks over the fork. The fork is clearly the superior utensil.


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## BackToThePast (Aug 31, 2012)

I prefer chopsticks when I can. Not a fan of the stabby stab.


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## farfegnugen (Aug 16, 2010)

not particularly well- at least according to Asian friends who smirk at me- though I happily manage to clear my plate without any fancy body contortions.


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## Persephone The Dread (Aug 28, 2010)

Yes but not well, I can't eat with a knife and fork properly either. I'm so useless at physically doing things, it's weird.


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## Blue2015 (Jul 3, 2015)

I've never tried, but it looks hard so I'm going to say no.


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## Daveyboy (Jan 13, 2013)

Yes... But iin public my anxiety makes my hand shake.. So I'll ask for a fork, or spork..


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## Darktower776 (Aug 16, 2013)

Yes, I can but I'm out of practice. I very seldom use chopsticks anymore and if I go to an Asian restaurant I just use the fork and knife because I can eat faster and more efficiently that way now.


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## AussiePea (Mar 27, 2007)

Yeah, spent a lot of time in Asia.

And I prefer them when available, unless it's rice.


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## Kml5111 (Dec 16, 2012)

I prefer knives and forks.


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## bad baby (Jun 10, 2013)

a good, sharp pair of chopsticks can pick up almost anything and i prefer it vastly to the knife and fork. but those thick plastic ones that they give you at chinese restaurants that's slippery as ****...seriously i would rather eat with my hands ugh.

chopsticks + spoon is the best combination of all. chopsticks to pick up the food, place it on the spoon, and shove into mouth. great success!! :9


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## lonerroom (May 16, 2015)

probably offline said:


> Just curious.
> 
> Bonus question for those who voted yes:
> 
> Do you choose chopsticks over knives and forks when both options are available?


Somewhat but not very good at it, the chop sticks often get tangled then they fly away


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## Kevin001 (Jan 2, 2015)

Nope, tried......epic fail.


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## kageri (Oct 2, 2014)

I can but not well. Part of the problem is I messed up my right wrist and I found it sends horrible cramps down my hand when I attempt to use chopsticks. I had to learn to use them with my left hand. Second problem is my fingers don't line up the same when I make a normal chopstick or pencil movement. I had to modify chopstick holding and I hold writing utensils weird too.


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## WillYouStopDave (Jul 14, 2013)

Never tried. Don't have any intentions of trying it. I have 35 spoons and 20 forks and zero chopsticks.


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## East (Jul 22, 2013)

i pride myself on being the only one in my family who can

& with certain foods (obv chinese) & regular rice & noodles i prefer chopsticks over forks or spoons


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## Skeletra (Aug 30, 2012)

Yes, and when eating a dish that would be natural with chopsticks, I choose chopsticks.

Also got quite a bit of practice using them. I'm super freaked out by bees and wasps, so whenever I find a dead one in the house I will pick it up with some chopsticks and carry it outside in the garden and toss it for the birds to eat.
And I really like sushi.


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## Owl Eyes (May 23, 2011)

Yes, but I will take a fork and spoon over chop sticks any day. It gets the job done much better.


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## Kenneth Ash (Jul 19, 2015)

Lol I can barely use them, but nothing stops me from getting my ramen!


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## Farideh (Nov 13, 2011)

I've always hated using chopsticks. When I was a kid, I would stab the chicken with one chopstick. Sure made eating not difficult. No one likes that.


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## Bbpuff (Sep 1, 2010)

I guess it depends on the food. Sometimes I eat with chopsticks just for the fun of it. I went through a period of time where I would try to eat everything with chopsticks. Now, not so much. Constant usage causes it to lose its novelty.


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## halfly (Sep 18, 2012)

Yep.

Depends on what I'm eating. If my food isn't in bite sized pieces, I won't use chopsticks. Otherwise, I'll use them.


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## bad baby (Jun 10, 2013)

Skeletra said:


> I'm super freaked out by bees and wasps, so whenever I find a dead one in the house I will pick it up with some chopsticks and carry it outside in the garden and toss it for the birds to eat.


that's the weirdest use of chopsticks that i've ever heard lol


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## SD92 (Nov 9, 2013)

I think I tried once, and failed. I went back to my trusted fork and spoon.


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## kageri (Oct 2, 2014)

You don't get a fork and spoon at some places. The place I used to get really tasty fish and now japanese curry (not really spicy at all) does have spoons but no forks. Try too eat a fish that is not deboned with a spoon... The noodles in asian dishes also often are not flexible enough for spoon or fork. They can't be wound up on a fork and don't even think about a spoon for anything except broth. So chopstick learning it is.


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## WillYouStopDave (Jul 14, 2013)

kageri said:


> You don't get a fork and spoon at some places. The place I used to get really tasty fish and now japanese curry (not really spicy at all) does have spoons but no forks. Try too eat a fish that is not deboned with a spoon... The noodles in asian dishes also often are not flexible enough for spoon or fork. They can't be wound up on a fork and don't even think about a spoon for anything except broth. So chopstick learning it is.


 This is why I eat at Wendy's. It might be a plastic fork but at least it's a fork. Best of all, most of their stuff can just be stuffed into your mouth with your paws.


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## mike91 (Sep 23, 2012)

Nope and never tried


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## firestar (Jun 27, 2009)

I'm half Asian, so naturally I learned when I was a kid. 

I only use them when I'm eating rice or noodles so just about never now. I eat a lot of soups and stews so I prefer a spoon.


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## Memories of Silence (May 15, 2015)

No. When I was about 8, I kept some from a restaurant so I could practise using them at home, but it didn't help.


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## JustThisGuy (Mar 24, 2012)

I hold chopsticks like an infant. As in I stare at them intently but they always end up in my nose.


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## WillYouStopDave (Jul 14, 2013)

JustThisGuy said:


> I hold chopsticks like an infant. As in I stare at them intently but they always end up in my nose.


 You should be issued a mandatory pair of government goggles for eye pertectshun. If you keep sticking them up your nose, one day yer gonna miss yer nostril holes and poke your own eyes out.


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## a degree of freedom (Sep 28, 2011)

probably offline said:


> Do you choose chopsticks over knives and forks when both options are available?


Sometimes. I'm rather less efficient with them, so I'll use them if I feel playful and don't mind looking a little dumb. I'm more likely to use them if the company I'm eating with does.

It's not unlike eating with my left hand, actually. Just because I can doesn't mean it's smooth and thoughtless.


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## WillYouStopDave (Jul 14, 2013)

Silent Memory said:


> No. When I was about 8, I kept some from a restaurant so I could practise using them at home, but it didn't help.


 Reminds me. Someone got me a git tar when I was little. I thought I'd be able to play it but I was wrong. I tried but it didn't work. I tried again but the result was the same. I kept trying and trying and didn't git nowhere. Finally, I gave up and put it in a corner, hoping it would kind of blend in and not be unsightly.

Unfortunately, it didn't blend. Nothing else I had was anything like a git tar and it looked completely out of place there in that corner. I noticed it every time I did anything. It caught my eye no matter what I was doing and it annoyed me terribly. I finally got rid of it.

Eating a chicken sandwich with my fingers is much easier.


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## kesker (Mar 29, 2011)

yes, very fun, i wish i liked Asian food more. 
people think if you stare intently enough your chopsticks they will spontaneously manipulate themselves. Not true :no


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## JustThisGuy (Mar 24, 2012)

Silent Memory said:


> No. When I was about 8, I kept some from a restaurant so I could practise using them at home, but it didn't help.


I did that, too. But I was 27. :serious:There's no way I can eat pho with chopsticks.



WillYouStopDave said:


> You should be issued a mandatory pair of government goggles for eye pertectshun. If you keep sticking them up your nose, one day yer gonna miss yer nostril holes and poke your own eyes out.


I can see myself pulling out goggles and strapping them to my face, followed by, "Ready," as the server tries to hand them to me and has a weirded out look on their face.


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

probably offline said:


> Just curious.
> 
> Bonus question for those who voted yes:
> 
> Do you choose chopsticks over knives and forks when both options are available?


Yes, ma'am!

I choose chopsticks when eating Chinese food....except when it is soup. It is very difficult otherwise.


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## probably offline (Oct 8, 2012)

Skeletra said:


> Also got quite a bit of practice using them. I'm super freaked out by bees and wasps, so whenever I find a dead one in the house I will pick it up with some chopsticks and carry it outside in the garden and toss it for the birds to eat.


I thought you were gonna say that you catch them alive like Mr. Miyagi.


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## Aeiou (Feb 11, 2015)

I choose chopsticks, but with rice it's always a struggle


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## ShatteredGlass (Oct 12, 2012)

I've never tried it. :c I'd likely struggle at first, but would improve with practice. A knife & fork would be considerably more efficient and quick though.


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## crimeclub (Nov 7, 2013)

I lived in Washington state for a couple years near the Nintendo and Microsoft headquarters (large Asian community) so I ate Teriyaki 4 times a week on average and I contend that I'm the best at chopsticks of anyone on this thread. I just am, some things are just fact.


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## SilkyJay (Jul 6, 2015)

I wish. My chopstick skills just aren't strong enough.


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## Peighton (Jun 12, 2015)

Alcadaeus said:


> I can eat using chopsticks with both legs tied to a chair. That's how good I am.


You're bluffing.


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## uziq (Apr 9, 2012)

'course i can

i ain't no dang PLEB


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## Perkins (Dec 14, 2010)

Yeah, I'm one of few amongst my bunch who actually knows how to use them. Eating at tons of Asian restaurants as a kid I'd say was good practice.


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## foe (Oct 10, 2010)

Only for noodles, especially Pad Thai-type noodles. Still need a spoon as a companion piece for Asian noodle soup.

I can eat rice with chopsticks but i prefer not too. Takes too much time.


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## HenDoggy (Jul 26, 2014)

im asian, so people would murder me if i didn't know how >_< i barely know how though and always choose fork over chopstick any day.


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## Blue Dino (Aug 17, 2013)

Yes, been using them since I was a kid.

Though my preference in using them over fork/knives/spoon varies in different foods.

Chopsticks: dishes like fish, veggies and meat pieces and noodles. 
Spoon: if it's a bowl of rice. (as much as it's a taboo do so in asian culture)
Fork/Knife: if it's a steak or a chicken/pork chop. (Or a snicker bar :lol)

Despite being virtually very efficient with chopsticks, I never really learn to hold them properly, as I hold it in an X form, while the proper form the rightmost picture, which I've always struggled to learn and eventually just gave up since I use the X form very efficiently.


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## Canadian Brotha (Jan 23, 2009)

Nope


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## SouthWest (Dec 4, 2014)

I _can _use chopsticks, _but_ I would choose to use a knife and fork because it's what I'm used to and I find it easier. I seriously doubt anyone would be upset if I didn't use chopsticks.


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## Nekomata (Feb 3, 2012)

No. Occasionally I try to eat Pot Noodles with chopsticks, but it takes me over an hour and by then it's gone cold.... <.<


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## eveningbat (Jan 21, 2013)

Never tried it, actually.


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## givinganonion (Sep 15, 2014)

I usually use them with Asian food, although even then I like to have a spoon too for the rice.


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## CWe (Mar 7, 2010)

I can't but i would love to try (goes outside to find dead twigs)


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## vicente (Nov 10, 2003)

No. Apparently I'm "Asian" but that doesn't help. I always ask for a fork at an Asian restaurant.


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## SofaKing (May 9, 2014)

Yeah, though I think my technique could be more refined. It works even if it may not look quite authentic. I can pick up a noodle or rice grain if needed.


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## Oasis-of-Reason (Oct 15, 2011)

Yes, it's very simple.


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## SamanthaStrange (Jan 13, 2015)

No. I can barely eat with a knife and fork, I was raised by wolves.


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## Xisha (Apr 19, 2015)

To people that aren't the best with chopsticks, I look like a natural with god-given powers. To everyone else, I look like a chicken trying to do morse code. To sum it all up; yes I can.


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## markwalters2 (Mar 18, 2013)

I can eat soup with chopsticks.


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## bad baby (Jun 10, 2013)

Blue Dino said:


> Yes, been using them since I was a kid.
> 
> Though my preference in using them over fork/knives/spoon varies in different foods.
> 
> ...


i have the exact same pair of chopsticks in the second pic. well, i _had_. the katana handle part broke  now i want to get a star wars light saber pair as a replacement :3

there's a saying from the older generations that holding you chopsticks closer to the top means that you will marry/move farther away. seems like for the x-form the hand is always placed really low and close to the tip. personally i've never been able to work that form because the length of the lever is shortened significantly and i have to use much more force in my hand... lol, that sounded stupidly technical, but you get what i mean.


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## Blue Dino (Aug 17, 2013)

bad baby said:


> seems like for the x-form the hand is always placed really low and close to the tip. personally i've never been able to work that form because the length of the lever is shortened significantly and i have to use much more force in my hand... lol, that sounded stupidly technical, but you get what i mean.


For me, I always hold it closer to the bottom because it gives me better control and strength. Holding it near the top, I have less grip and the food always slides off the chopsticks.



> there's a saying from the older generations that holding you chopsticks closer to the top means that you will marry/move farther away.


:| I guess that explains a lot with my love life. :lol


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## whocares187 (May 23, 2015)

yes I can. I stab the stick into the meat and eat it like a kebob. people look at me weird and then they awkwardly try to lift the food with both sticks and I lol.


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## visualkeirockstar (Aug 5, 2012)

Yes. But I prefer using spoon and fork.


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## bad baby (Jun 10, 2013)

Blue Dino said:


> For me, I always hold it closer to the bottom because it gives me better control and strength. Holding it near the top, I have less grip and the food always slides off the chopsticks.
> 
> :| I guess that explains a lot with my love life. :lol


oh and there's also a superstition that you should never stick your chopsticks in the food because it resembles incense sticks that you burn for dead people.. i got yelled at A LOT for it when i was a kid :/


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