Want to have good chopstick manners?
It is something like Jedi training.
Having the right chopsticks manners takes practice and patience.
It takes a long time to acquire these skills.
1. When I was a kid, I couldn't hold chopsticks properly
My mom taught me patiently, but I was using my chopsticks in my own way for a long time.
I think I wasn't good at listening to people as a kid.
Another example was how I wore shoes. I used to wear my shoes left and right reversed,
And I thought it made perfect sense because the shoe shape looked like that for me.
Were you the kid like me or you could do things correctly from the beginning?
2. When to pick up your chopsticks is the most important
When you are starting to eat, the first thing you want to do is to grab your chopsticks, right?
Wrong!
You shouldn’t pick up your chopsticks in the beginning.
Because…
3. You should pick up the bowl first, then pick up the chopsticks
This is because you are supposed to pick up your bowl with both hands.
If you have the chopsticks in your hand, you can’t pick up the bowl.
So remember:
First, pick up the bowl with 2 hands and then pick up the chopsticks.
This behavior makes you look well mannered.
4. Here is how to do it…
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1 Pick up a bowl with both hands.
Then hold the bottom of the bowl with your left hand and leave your right hand.
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2 Pick up your chopsticks with your right hand.
Use your thumb, index finger, and middle finger to pick up your chopsticks.
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3 Put the chopsticks between your left middle and ring fingers.
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4 And hold the chopsticks correctly with your right hand.
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5 Leave your left hand from the chopsticks.
(This is an instruction for right handed people. If you are left handed, switch right and left.)
5. Pick up chopsticks, grab them with the other hand, then hold them back correctly
Important:
Do not try to pick up and hold chopsticks with one hand.
Because this doesn’t look nice.
It gives some rough and coarse impression to people.
You need two hands to do this.
6. When you put down the chopsticks, do the same
After eating, you also need to use your both hands to place the chopsticks on the table.
1 Put the chopsticks between your left middle and ring fingers.
2 Grab your chopsticks with your right hand.
Use your thumb, index finger, and middle finger to pick up your chopsticks.
3 Place your chopsticks on the table.
4 Put the bowl on the table using both hands.
(These are instructions for right handed people. If you are left handed, switch right and left.)
7. This is how to hold chopsticks
I think you know already but the point is…
The middle finger is between each chopstick.
And when you use chopsticks,
You only move the upper chopstick.
And the lower chopstick is always fixed.
8. You can only hold certain kinds of dishes
You have learned that you need to hold a bowl before picking up your chopsticks.
But you are not supposed to hold…
Big dishes, large bowls, sashimi plates, plates for fried food etc..
Basically, these are large dishwares.
The kinds that you can hold are…
Rice bowls, soup bowls, shoyu trays, small bowls, donburi bowls, and jyubako.
There are more chopstick manners to keep in mind…
9. If there is a shared dish, use public chopsticks
No one wants to eat food that other people touch using their own chopsticks.
Right?
If there are no extra chopsticks to use for it, ask the waiter or waitress to give you a pair.
10. You shouldn’t hold your chopsticks separately
Holding one chopstick on the right hand and the other on the left hand like a fork and a knife...
This is considered really bad manners and looks childish.
Because it shows that you can’t use chopsticks the way it was designed.
11. Do not help while someone else tries to divide his or her food
This is an error that comes from kindness.
Let’s say you and your friend are eating gyoza. And…
Sometimes, gyoza sticks to each other.
And your friend tries to separate these pieces.
Do not help.
Because if you help your friend, it might appear like you are questioning your friend’s chopstick skills.
In addition, touching food with 2 pairs of chopsticks implicates a Japanese funeral custom.
*After the cremation we pick up the ash using 2 pairs of chopsticks and move them into the urn.
12. No putting your elbow on the table while eating
It looks lazy, so people don’t like to see that.
In addition, this is because Japanese people used to eat food from a four-legged tray.
Not from a table.
This means there was no place to put your elbows to begin with.
13. Do not put chopsticks on a bowl or dishes
You should put your chopsticks on a chopstick stand.
14. Do not move a bowl or dish using chopsticks
15. Do not stab food using chopsticks
Due to Covid, a lot of good ramen restaurants have closed
It makes me feel very angry.
I used to eat ramen out frequently,
But in this situation,
Ramen shops have started to shorten the hours, limit the number of customers, or even closed their shops.
It has affected the industry so much.
I am afraid good ramen will be gone
But meanwhile, you still can enjoy ramen in the comfort of your own home.
Here are some of my recommendations for ramen lovers.
1. Sapporo Ichiban Shio Flavor
MY THOUGHTS OVERALL ★★★★☆
In truth, Sapporo Ichiban delivers a good quality shio ramen experience.
Actually, it is very difficult to find good shio ramen.
Do you know why?
Because it is very difficult to make it since it is very simple.
There are many good shoyu and miso flavored instant noodles out there.
But I feel specifically, the shio flavor market is monopolized by Sapporo Ichiban.
Think about this for a moment having good shio ramen for your dinner with your favorite ramen toppings.
Now, you want some, don’t you?
2. Nissin Raoh Shoyu Flavor
MY THOUGHTS OVERALL ★★★★★
It is nearly impossible to make restaurant quality noodles at home without the right tools and equipment.
How can you beat that?
Using Raoh’s shoyu flavour will help you achieve this easily. This is top-notch ramen hands down!
One pinnacle of instant noodles is the soy sauce flavor. It is expensive compared to regular ones but let me tell you, it deserves every single penny.
In a nutshell, I loved every bit of it.
...And I am sure you will too.
3. The problem here is that no toppings come with these packets.
Here are some topping options and recipes for you.
Green onion
4. Have you ever faced these issues...
A lack of large, high-quality soup bowl sets at home?
Are you still struggling with...
😢 ...small bowls that aren’t large enough for soups, noodles and toppings.
😢 ...spillage every time you eat out of your bowl.
😢 ...low-quality tableware and utensils that don’t compliment your food.
Look no further,
Our best-selling bowls are here to fix all the issues you face with small, inefficient tableware.
After struggling with spillage and leakage during dinner time,
We decided to introduce APEX S.K’s large soup bowls to the market.
Want to hear why some people absolutely love our ramen bowls?
"These are perfect for homemade ramen soup nights! The bowls we have at home are not large enough and my wife has been trying to look for larger bowls. I'm so glad I stumbled upon these. They made a great Christmas gift for the whole family. Everybody was so excited and we can't wait to put them to use on our next ramen night."
"Amazing quality! They are very durable. I dropped it from standing height to test if they would break, but no dents or anything."
"The shape, the color, and the overall appearance of the bowl was exactly what I was looking for - the shape, the color"
Check our sets on Amazon..
About the Author
Kei is a self-proclaimed ramen lover, blog writer and founder of "Apex S.K. Japanese tableware".
"I am from Ibaraki, Japan.
Ramen is great! It can bring you a sense of happiness and satisfaction that no other food can. I have been eating ramen for 30 years.
If there is no ramen, my life would be miserable.
Ten years ago, I worked as an office worker. The job was really stressful - excessive working hours, low wages, unpaid overtime work, and constantly being yelled at by my boss.
I was new and alone, no girlfriend, no friends, and felt very lonely.
My only oasis was the ramen shop near the office. For me, the ramen chef there was literally an angel. I saw a halo on his head. (No joke)
Tonkotsu shoyu ramen was my all-time favorite. He made ramen with broth chock-full of umami flavor, nice chewy handmade noodles, and tender chashu.
My greatest dream is connect people with ramen through my blog. I want to share a lot of interesting and funny stories and ramen trivia with you.
Knowing more about ramen can help you appreciate your ramen and make it taste extra delicious."
Did you know that we offer more than just a ramen blog?
We also have an exclusive collection of ramen-inspired t-shirts and hoodies that any true noodle lover will adore.
Head over to ApexRamen and check it out for yourself
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