Meaning of Chopsticks in Asia - 30 September 2007

Read this article in Chinese (translated by Christina Li)

English editor: Anthony Sonego, Christina Li

Foreword – East and West

There are basically three fundamental needs in a human being’s life: clothing, housing and food. Throughout history, these have been developed and cultivated in a variety of ways according to differences in the climate, nature and lifestyles of the people living in the East and West.

Of these factors, food has the most profound affect a human being’s life, because, without it, humans cannot survive at all. The materials for housing as well as clothing of Western and Eastern societies can be obtained easily from surroundings and the form (shape) of housing and clothing is structured in a way that best matches the social values and attitudes of the people. (Asian clothing is mostly free–formed, or universally shaped, covering the whole body and exposing only the neck and hands. This is why a woman’s hands and neck are the most popular and sometimes mysterious sensual subjects of Asian poets in ancient time.) 

Chopsticks

Chopsticks are a pair of small even length tapered sticks, which originated in the Far East of Asia, in locations such as China and Korea. They are widely used and have become the traditional eating utensils of China, Korea, Japan and Vietnam.

Chopsticks have commonly been made of either wood, bamboo, metal, bone and, in more recent times, plastic as well.

Styles of chopsticks used in different cultures within Far East Asia

Japan – These chopsticks are of a short to medium length and they taper to a pointed end. This may be attributed to the fact that the Japanese diet consists of a large amount of whole bony fish. Japanese chopsticks are traditionally made of wood and are lacquered. Shorter chopsticks are usually used by women and longer ones are usually used by men.

Korea – Korean chopsticks are medium length stainless steel (earlier ones were traditionally made of brass, silver or wood) tapered rods, with a flat rectangular cross section. Many Korean metal chopsticks are ornately decorated at the grip.

China (Taiwan) – Chinese chopsticks are square in the cross section where they are held and round in the cross section at the end where they contact food. This end is a blunt tip. 

Etiquette
As chopsticks are used in a large geographic area in the Far East regions of Asia, there is no single standard etiquette for their use. Generally, dinner time etiquette in the East, especially as it relates to the handling of cutlery is quite similar to Western practises. However, a key difference is the amount of noise made during eating. (In the East, noise made during a meal time is meant as an indication that the meal tastes good and was prepared in the best way; in this sense, it is a compliment.)

Basic and common etiquette when using chopsticks entails not using them to make noise or playing with them whilst seated at the table. They should also not be left standing vertically in a bowl of rice or food.

Usage
Chopsticks are controlled in one hand-between the thumb and fingers; being used to pick up pieces of food which are prepared and brought to the table in small and convenient pieces.

In chopstick using cultures, food is generally served in small pieces. Rice in East Asia is usually prepared to be sticky, which leads to clumping, making it conducive to eating with chopsticks.

Chopsticks as a cultural icon

Since the type of raw produce in the East and West depends on the climate, soil and environment quite heavily, the types of foods prepared in the East and West differ quite markedly. As mentioned at the beginning of this article, food has a significant impact on people’s lives since they must rely on it for their daily sustenance.

As a consequence, people have been influenced, slowly but naturally, by taking different foods and by using different type of utensils (cutlery and chopstick) everyday, which has led them to create their own food culture.  Additionally, people and societies have developed differently and this has manifested itself in different attitudes and personalities of the people from the West and the East.

With this background, the eating utensils used by the people in the East and West became the cultural icons that significantly represented the different cultures, ways of life, ways of thinking and social values developed in their region. In other words, one can say, by observing and analysing the eating utensils (cutlery and chopsticks), we gain an insight into the peoples’ mindset in relation to their societal values and their appreciation, or preferences, for aesthetics in design.

A comparison of two cultural icons
The analysis and comparison of a fork and knife and a set of chopsticks, the representative food utensils of the West and East, respectively, cannot be described in a few words. However, in my opinion, the fundamental meaning related to their function and associated value can be interpreted as below: 

These are the comparative descriptions of the fundamental differences in using knives and forks as compared to chopsticks.

To manage the Asian chopsticks, people need to master certain skills and techniques, especially since they must use their fingers rather than hands, as is the case when using a knife and fork.

At a glance, these look completely different - even opposite - in every respect, such as culture, attitude, and society. However, what these descriptions of chopsticks represent are the Asian people’s attitudes, social values and cultural backgrounds. The question now is what have these qualities got to do with design?

Chopsticks - lessons in design

As already mentioned, to enable the effective use of chopsticks, the food should be prepared first in the kitchen, being cut and formed into small pieces, which usually takes a lot of time and requires careful preparation.

This level of detail - cutting pieces of food into convenient user friendly portions - as part of the preparation process indicates how “chopstick culture” places importance on making people feel happy and comfortable and that they are treated properly during the dining experience.
- Human-Centred focus

I have also said that the meal is usually prepared not for individual family members, but, rather, for a whole family. This means that meals are served with big portions of food prepared in small pieces on a big bowl or appropriately sized serving plate; not individually separated dishes for one person. Group oriented, human relation oriented thinking is behind this “chopstick culture”.
- Group oriented way of thinking

This creates an emotional relationship and builds an intimate membership among the family members or people sharing the meal together at the table.
- Building relationships helps create emotional connections.

Due to this fact, in “chopstick culture”, you can always welcome guests without any prior notification, since you simply provide a set of chopsticks to each person so they can all share the experience of enjoying the meal as part of the family.
- Hospitality teaches flexibility.

Since there are different types of chopsticks used in East Asian Countries, there are obvious differences that also exist in cultural, historical and emotional aspects, as can be seen in architecture, clothing and food, as well as in people’s minds and their way of life.
- A diverse approach to problem solving

As mentioned, to use chopsticks properly requires a high level of skill and this should be managed first correctly as it is associated with etiquette. Scientific research shows that the right brain develops more efficiently as a result of using chopsticks, especially manoeuvring it with only two fingers of one hand.
-More sophisticated design sense and highly developed design skills

Apart from the use of plastic today, the materials used for chopsticks are very natural and environmentally friendly. Materials such as bamboo and wood (nowadays Koreans use steel in some cases for economic reasons), are prevalent. However, even though disposable wooden chopsticks cause a waste problem, people are developing new ways of recycling it. One of the modern concerns for design is the adoption of environmentally friendly production methods and materials.
- Environmental awareness

Thus, “chopstick culture” naturally possesses the fundamental design philosophy and optimal attitude for design.
- Design with the end user in mind

Conclusion

I have tried to briefly reinterpret the meaning of chopsticks to Asian people by analysing the historical and cultural heritage and how the use of chopsticks in the last couple of thousands years have had an influence on people’s lives and attitudes. The philosophy developed throughout the history inherited with use of chopsticks relates to many aspects of design as described above.

Before I go on to conclude my opinion of the basis of design, I’d like to share with you my last comment: There are still common points between East and West, despite all those differences described above. What I want to emphasize with this comment is that there is a good basis for better dialogue and collaboration.

We share a utensil that promotes combining, mixing, stirring, and serving. It is the sole-utensil for fluid, and it acts like a bridge in terms of functionality as it complements both the traditional East (chopsticks) and West (knife and fork) eating utensils.

To summarise my argument, as we reviewed, the key point of social value that Asian people think most important is the interpersonal relationship between humans as a group.

In this sense, the core point is design concerns people. Good design cares for people and is for the people. From this aspect, as designers, we should care about people, the quality of their interaction with our products and the relationships amongst the people to bring out more human oriented design.

Nowadays, many Western people are talking about Asia; trying to establish businesses and to set up a base or to explore new opportunities. At the same time, Asian Restaurants, such as Chinese, Korean and Japanese sushi restaurants are becoming a popular trend in most western countries, where the western people try to use chopsticks with less developed skills.

In order to explore opportunities properly in Asia, it will help them if they understand the heritage associated with chopsticks and what it means to Asian people in every aspect of life. In essence, the real meaning of chopsticks is nothing but “Human Relationships”.

That is the basis of design.

Mr Young-Ill Kim currently holds the position of Executive Vice-President for Design and Brand at Hyundai & Kia Motors, Korea. As a professional designer he has been involved in the design of various cars and industrial products in the last 25 years. Mr. Kim has held professorial appointments at the Choong ang University and Dan kook University in Seoul and Guest Professor at HDK, Hochschule fuer Design and Junst in Gothenburg, Sweden.

He has received many design awards in Korea and Germany at national and international design competitions including a National Award by the President of Korea in 2003. He holds the position of Vice-Chairman of the Korea Association of Industrial Designers and is a Board Member of the Asia Designer’s Assembly for Korea, Japan and Taiwan.

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