Nowadays, the tools used by humans in the world for eating are mainly divided into three categories: Europe and North America use knives, forks, and spoons, and use three utensils for a meal; China, Japan, Vietnam, South Korea, and North Korea use chopsticks; In Africa, the Middle East, Indonesia and the Indian subcontinent, they eat with their fingers. White, an emeritus professor at the University of California, USA, said after a survey: "Three types of people who eat with knives and forks, fingers and chopsticks all use a tough attitude to protect their tableware." "Especially those who eat with their hands are often regarded as uncivilized, but they feel good about themselves. For example, there is a Filipino restaurant in Los Angeles, USA, which advertises that it is proud of eating with its hands and publicly warns those who are unwilling to eat with their hands. customers, refuse them to visit.

China is the birthplace of chopsticks. It has a history of at least 3,000 years and is the mother country of eating with chopsticks. Chopsticks look like very simple pieces. It is a small stick, but it has the functions of picking, plucking, stirring, and grilling. It is easy to use, cheap and good. Chopsticks are also a unique tableware in the world today, whether they are Chinese or foreigners. , everyone admires the inventor of chopsticks. But who invented it? When was it created? No one can answer this question now. There is no written record of this great contribution to human civilization. Maybe our ancestors lacked writing at that time, or the books recording chopsticks have been lost? In short, the only answer to this unsolved question is "no historical records". Of course, it is not impossible to find anything in the study of chopstick culture. Circumstantial evidence. The author has collected three legends about the origin of chopsticks.

The origin of chopsticks

1. Jiang Ziya and chopsticks

This legend spreads in China. In Sichuan and other places, it is said that Jiang Ziya can only fish with a straight hook and cannot do anything else, so he is very poor. His wife really can't live a hard life with him, so she wants to kill him and marry someone else.

Jiang Ziya came home empty-handed from fishing that day. His wife said, "Are you hungry?" I've cooked some meat for you, eat it quickly!" Jiang Ziya was really hungry, so he reached out to grab the meat. Suddenly a bird flew out of the window and pecked him. He said "Ah" in pain, but he didn't eat the meat. When he went to get the meat for the second time, the bird pecked at the back of his hand. Jiang Ziya was suspicious. Why did the bird peck at me twice? Could it be that I couldn't eat the meat? When he went to catch the meat, the bird came to peck him again. Jiang Ziya knew that it was a magical bird, so he chased it out and chased it until he found it on a deserted hillside. Singing: "Jiang Ziya, Jiang Ziya, don't eat meat with your hands, the meat is under my feet..." "Jiang Ziya listened to the instructions of the divine bird and hurriedly picked two thin bamboo strips and returned home. At this time, his wife urged him to eat meat again, so Jiang Ziya put the two thin bamboo strips into the bowl to sandwich the meat. Suddenly he saw the thin bamboo strips sizzling out. There were puffs of green smoke. Jiang Ziya pretended not to know about the poison and said to his wife: "Why is the meat smoking? Is it poisonous? "With that said, Jiang Ziya picked up the meat and put it into his wife's mouth. The wife's face turned pale with fright, and she hurriedly ran out of the door.

Jiang Ziya understood that this silk bamboo was a sacred bamboo sent by a sacred bird, and any poison would be poisonous. After finding out, he used two bamboo sticks for every meal. After the news came out, his wife not only did not dare to poison her again, but also her neighbors started to eat with bamboo branches. Later, more and more people followed suit and started eating with chopsticks. The custom was passed down from generation to generation.

This legend is obviously the product of worshiping Jiang Ziya, and it is inconsistent with historical records. Ivory chopsticks appeared during the reign of King Zhou of Yin, and Jiang Ziya was the same generation as King Zhou of Yin. Since King Zhou had already used ivory chopsticks, Jiang Ziya’s silk bamboo chopsticks could not be said to be an invention. However, one thing is true, that is, bamboo was used as chopsticks in the Shang Dynasty. p>2. Da Yi and Chopsticks

This legend is spread in Jiangsu. It tells that Shang Zhou was moody. When eating, he either said that the fish was not fresh, or that the chicken soup was too hot, and sometimes said that the dishes were too cold. Entrance. As a result, many chefs became his victims. His beloved concubine Da already knew that he was difficult to serve, so every time she served a banquet, she had to taste it in advance to prevent King Zhou from being too salty to eat. Angry. Once, Da had tasted several bowls of delicacies that were too hot, but it was too late to change them because King Zhou had already come to the table. In order to please King Zhou, Da quickly took off the long jade hairpin on her head. He picked up the vegetables, blew them again and again, and then put them into King Zhou's mouth after the vegetables had cooled down a bit. King Zhou was a dissolute and shameless person. He thought it was a pleasure for Daji to pick up vegetables and feed her, so he asked Daji to do this every day. .

Daji immediately asked the craftsmen to make two long jade hairpins for her to hold vegetables. This was the prototype of jade chopsticks. Later, this way of picking up vegetables spread to the people, and chopsticks were produced.

This legend is not full of mythology like the first legend, but is closer to life and has some practical significance, but it is still legendary and inconsistent with historical facts. The steel chopsticks (chopsticks) unearthed by archaeologists in the Yin Shang Tomb No. 1005 in Houjiazhuang, Anyang, were verified to be older than the King Zhou era at the end of the Yin Dynasty. Obviously, chopsticks were neither invented by King Zhou nor Da. It should be an earlier product.

3. Dayu and Chopsticks

This legend is spread in the Northeast region. It is said that in the era of Yao and Shun, floods caused disasters, and Shun ordered Yu to control the floods. After receiving the order, Dayu vowed to eliminate floods for the people, so he passed through the house three times without entering. He fought against the fierce water and waves day and night, not to mention resting, even eating and sleeping, and was reluctant to lose a minute or a second.

Once, Dayu came to an island by boat. He was unbearably hungry, so he set up a clay pot to cook meat. After the meat is boiled in water, it becomes too hot to eat with your hands. Dayu didn't want to waste time waiting for the meat pot to cool down. He wanted to control the water before the flood peak, so he cut off two branches, took the meat out of the hot soup, and ate it. From then on, in order to save time, Dayu always used branches and thin bamboos to fish out food from the boiling hot pot. This saves time in taming floods. Over time, Dayu developed the ability to use thin sticks to pick up food. His subordinates saw that he was eating like this, which neither burned nor made their hands greasy, so they followed suit one after another, and the prototype of chopsticks was gradually formed.

Although "legends" mainly use certain historical materials to express the understanding, opinions and feelings of the people and counties about historical events, rather than strictly reproducing the historical events themselves, Dayu accidentally happened while controlling the water. The original process of using chopsticks makes people today believe that this is a real situation. It is more simple and realistic than the legend of Jiang Ziya and Daji making chopsticks, and it is also in line with the laws of development of things.

The main reason for the birth of chopsticks is that cooked food is hot. In ancient times, because there were no metal utensils and animal bones were short, extremely brittle, and difficult to process, our ancestors would pick thin bamboos and branches for cooked food. Back then, in a wilderness environment, humans lived in caves in dense forests and bushes, and the most convenient materials were trees and bamboo branches. Because of this, small sticks and thin bamboos were fiddled with by the ancestors when they were roasting food, and they were used to grab hot food. Stirring when cooking millet, etc., the prototype of chopsticks gradually appeared. This is the inevitable development law of human beings in special environments. Let’s study it from the current shape of chopsticks. It also has the characteristics of the original bamboo sticks. Even after more than 4,000 years of development, its originality remains unchanged.

Of course, any legend is always made through the selection, tailoring, fabrication, exaggeration, exaggeration and even fantasy processing of people in the past dynasties, and Dayu’s creation of chopsticks is no exception. It is the process of making chopsticks that has been gradually explored by ordinary people for thousands of years, and is concentrated on the typical figure of Dayu. In fact, the birth of chopsticks should be the collective wisdom of the ancestors, not the credit of any one person. However, chopsticks may have originated in the era of King Yu. After hundreds of years or even years of development and popularization, they became tableware used together with daggers in the Shang Dynasty.

~~~~~~~~~~~~I am the cute dividing line＾－＾~~~~~

Twelve taboos of Chinese people using chopsticks

The use of chopsticks by Chinese people for dining has been handed down from ancient times. In ancient times, they were also called "chopsticks". The use of chopsticks in daily life is very particular. Generally, when we use chopsticks, the correct way to use them is to hold the chopsticks with your right hand, pinch the upper end of the chopsticks with your thumb and index finger, and hold the chopsticks with the other three fingers naturally bent, and the two ends of the chopsticks must be aligned. During use, the chopsticks must be placed neatly on the right side of the rice bowl before eating, and they must be placed neatly vertically in the center of the rice bowl after eating. But there are absolutely no taboos on the following twelve ways to use chopsticks.

1 Three long and two short:

This means that before or during the meal, chopsticks of uneven lengths are placed on the table. This approach is very unlucky, and we usually call it "three longs and two shorts". It means "death".

Because the Chinese used to believe that a person must be put into a coffin after death. After the person is put in, but before the coffin lid is closed, the coffin consists of two short wooden boards at the front and back, and three long wooden boards at the sides and bottom. , the coffin made of five wooden boards happens to be three long and two short, so this is extremely unlucky.

2 Immortal guidance:

This approach is also extremely unacceptable. This way of holding chopsticks is to hold the chopsticks with your thumb, middle finger, ring finger and little finger. , with the index finger extended. This is called "swearing on the street" in the eyes of Beijingers. Because when you extend your index finger while eating, you are always pointing at others. When Beijingers extend their index finger to point at others, it usually means accusing them. Therefore, pointing fingers when using chopsticks is tantamount to blaming others. It is the same as swearing and is not allowed. There is another situation that also has this meaning, that is, talking to others and pointing at others with chopsticks while eating.

3. Pin chopsticks and leave a sound:

This approach is also not acceptable. It is to hold one end of the chopsticks in your mouth, suck it back and forth with your mouth, and make a hissing sound from time to time. This behavior is considered despicable. Because sucking chopsticks with your mouth while eating is a rude behavior in itself, and coupled with the sound, it is even more annoying. Therefore, this kind of practice will generally be considered as a lack of tutoring, and it is also not allowed.

4 Knocking on the cup:

This behavior is regarded as a beggar asking for food. The method is to use chopsticks to knock on the plate and bowl while eating. Because in the past, only beggars would hit the begging bowl with chopsticks, and the sound produced by it coupled with the plea from the mouth would attract the attention of passers-by and give alms. This practice is considered extremely despicable and is looked down upon by others.

5 Patrolling the city with chopsticks:

This method is to hold the chopsticks in your hand as if there is no one else around, use the chopsticks to search back and forth among the dishes on the table, and know where to go. It's better to use chopsticks. This kind of behavior is a typical sign of lack of self-cultivation, and is extremely arrogant and disgusting.

6 Digging with chopsticks:

This refers to digging around with chopsticks on the food plate in order to find prey, just like a grave robber. This approach is similar to "cruising the city with a pair of chopsticks", which are both uneducated and annoying.

7 Tears and chopsticks left behind:

In fact, when you use chopsticks to pick up vegetables on your plate, your hands are not steady, and the vegetable soup spills into other dishes or on the table. . This practice is considered a serious disrespect and is also undesirable.

8 Turning the world upside down:

This means using chopsticks upside down when eating. This practice is very looked down upon. As the saying goes, a hungry person will not choose what to eat, so that he will not care about his face. It is absolutely not allowed to use chopsticks to knock things over.

9 Dinghaishenzhen:

It is not okay to use a chopstick to insert the dishes on the plate during meals. This is considered to be a humiliation to the diners at the same table. Doing this while eating is equivalent to extending your middle finger to people in public in Europe, which is also unacceptable.

10. Offering incense in public:

It is often out of good intentions that when helping others to serve rice, they insert a pair of chopsticks into the rice and hand it to them for convenience and convenience. It was regarded as disrespectful by others, because the tradition in Beijing is to do this only when offering incense to the dead. If you insert a pair of chopsticks into the rice, it is regarded as the same as offering incense to the dead. Therefore, inserting chopsticks into the rice is regarded as disrespectful. In a bowl is never acceptable.

11 Crossed Cross:

This point is often not noticed by people. When eating, the chopsticks are casually crossed on the table. This is wrong, because Beijingers think that putting a cross on the dinner table is a complete denial of other people at the same table, just like a student who made a mistake in his homework and was given a cross by the teacher on his notebook, and it cannot be accepted by others. In addition, this approach is also disrespectful to oneself, because in the past, people only used forks when facing lawsuits and drawing confessions. This is undoubtedly denying oneself, which is also unacceptable.

12 Falling to the ground with shock:

The so-called "falling to the ground with shock" means accidentally dropping the chopsticks on the ground, which is a sign of serious disrespect. Because Beijingers believe that all their ancestors sleep underground and should not be disturbed, dropping chopsticks is equivalent to disturbing the ancestors underground, which is extremely unfilial, so this behavior is not allowed. But there is a way to break this. Once the chopsticks fall to the ground, you should quickly use the chopsticks to make a cross on the ground according to the direction you are sitting.

Its direction is east-west first and then north-south. It means that I am not a thing and should not disturb my ancestors. Then I picked up the chopsticks and said at the same time that I deserved to die.

What material is the best for chopsticks:

When buying chopsticks, buy natural ones

Many families buy a pair of chopsticks until there are fewer and fewer chopsticks. When it is worn out, you will think of going to the supermarket to buy a new one to take home. And there are all kinds of chopsticks on the supermarket shelves, including pure bamboo, lacquer, ivory, silver; a pair, a handful... which one should I choose?

Section Chief Wang reminded that when buying chopsticks, the emphasis is on practicality rather than appearance. The more natural the better, and the more genuine the better. He believes that if the surface can be smooth when processing chopsticks, then there is no need to apply a layer of paint on them, and it cannot be completely ruled out that the paint used is harmless to the human body.

According to industry insiders, the quality can be directly judged from the appearance when purchasing. Usually, those with uniform color and exquisite craftsmanship will have better quality. It is best to choose a pair of individually packaged chopsticks. The craftsmanship and quality are much more refined than a large handful of packaged chopsticks.

It is best to use bamboo chopsticks

2005-11-29

Nowadays, people are becoming more and more particular about their diet, not only pursuing the color, aroma, and There are all kinds of flavors, and even chopsticks come in many varieties. There are chopsticks of various materials on the market, including bamboo, wood, painted, plastic, bone, silver, stainless steel, etc. So, what kind of chopsticks are more practical and healthier?

First of all, do not use painted chopsticks because the heavy metal lead and organic solvent benzene and other substances in the paint are carcinogenic. Moreover, with wear and tear during use, once the paint on the chopsticks falls off, it will Food entering the human body will seriously harm people's health. In particular, some families like to use brightly colored lacquered chopsticks for their children. Children have a low tolerance for lead, benzene, etc., so they must be avoided. Secondly, plastic chopsticks are brittle and can easily deform and melt when heated, causing harmful effects on the human body. Materials; bone chopsticks have good texture, but are prone to discoloration, and are relatively expensive; metal chopsticks such as silver and stainless steel are too heavy, have a bad feel, and have strong thermal conductivity, so they can easily burn your mouth when eating overheated food.

It is recommended that you choose chopsticks made of natural materials. Bamboo chopsticks are the first choice. They are non-toxic, harmless and very environmentally friendly. You can also choose natural wooden chopsticks. However, due to their materials, bamboo chopsticks and wooden chopsticks are not easy to clean and may be contaminated by pathogenic microorganisms, so you should pay attention to frequent disinfection and keep them clean.

In addition to the choice of chopstick material, the correct use and maintenance of chopsticks is also very important in daily life:

First of all, a family should try not to mix chopsticks. Because if they are mixed, it is easy to cause cross-infection of some diseases. Research shows that nearly half of people have Helicobacter pylori, which causes gastric problems, in their bodies, and most of these bacteria are spread through families, and chopsticks are one of the important transmission media. Therefore, it is best to use chopsticks at home for the exclusive use of only one person.

Secondly, clean chopsticks thoroughly. Many Chinese families wash their chopsticks very generously. They put the whole chopsticks under the faucet and rub them, then insert them into the chopstick tube and it's done. As everyone knows, it is easy for bacteria to breed on chopsticks and enter the human body with food, harming people's health. The correct washing method should be: carefully wash the chopsticks with detergent, drain the water, and then put them into the chopstick barrel. Moreover, the chopstick barrel should be hollow and do not accumulate water at the bottom, and should be cleaned and disinfected frequently.

Finally, chopsticks should be replaced frequently. In many families, it is common for a pair of chopsticks to be used for two or three years. However, once chopsticks are used for a long time, the surface is no longer smooth, and frequent scrubbing can easily make the chopsticks rough, with many tiny grooves appearing, which can easily harbor bacteria. Therefore, it is best to replace chopsticks every six months.

Reference materials: www.baike.baidu.com