What Are chopsticks?
Chopsticks, commonly known within Eastern Asia as hashi (箸), are a shaped pair of equal-length sticks used as cutlery, they are one of the simplest, oldest, and most widely used utensils for eating. Held using your dominant hand and secured by your fingers, chopsticks function as the extension of your own hand, used to pick up pieces of food affectively/easily off your plate.
A Brief History
Forks, knifes, and spoons aren’t the only types of cutleries used for eating. Of course, you can’t forget about chopsticks! Originating during the reign of the Shang Dynasty, from 1600 to 1046 B.C., then over the course of a millennium, the utensil (overtime) gradually developed and changed its design and heritage, to become what is widely known as the chopstick.
Utilized throughout various parts of Asia ranging from China to Vietnam, to Thailand, and much more. Earlier forms of chopsticks were mainly used for cooking, capable of reaching deep into boiling pots of liquids, making actions such as stirring, picking-up/dropping-in foods, and even tasting effortless to users.
Visually speaking, chopsticks have changed in design overtime, starting out crafted from wood and bamboo, then developing over the years being crafted from different types of metals (e.g., bronze, silver, agate, gold, etc.). It actually, wasn’t until about 400 A.D. when the utensils finally were used for eating purposes.