Chop Sticks

Ok, so we recently had some pei wei (YUMMMMM!) and while we were there, i spotted this little girl (who was totally american, not even chinese!) eating with chop sticks and i was so jealous! Yes, it sounds so immature, but i really want to be able to eat chinese food with chop sticks darn it! And every time i try i end up getting so frustrated and break them in half, or in this most recent case, just tossed them to Jackson and he had fun banging things with them. Why is this so difficult?

Well, i decided i am going to learn and i am going to be good at it! thankfully in this techical age, we can find anything on the internet, so here is what i found, courtesy of Wikipedia, i hope it helps you too! :)

Here's how to say goodbye to that fork for good and put those chopsticks to work!

Things you will need: Chop sticks and food

Step 1: Pick up the first chopstick with the middle finger and thumb. Stiffen your hand for a firm grip. Have the broad end of the chopstick lay on the part where your thumb and index finger connect. Rest the narrow end on the tip of your ring finger, and hold it in place with the tip of your middle finger. (Hint: try holding it the way you hold a pen to write. It might rest on your ring finger or your middle finger, held in place by your index finger. Place the chopstick then lift your index finger so it can hold the second chopstick.)

Step 2: Grip the second chopstick with your index finger. Place your thumb over the second chopstick. Adjust your grip to a more comfortable position. Make sure the narrow tips of the chopsticks are even with each other to help prevent them from crossing or being unable to "pinch" the food.

Step 3: Hold it steady. This chopstick should not move when you attempt to pick up food. Alternatively, hold the first chopstick steady and move the second (top) chopstick by moving the tip of your index finger up and down while the thumb remains relatively steady, acting like a pivot point. The top chopstick remains pressed to the index finger from the tip through the first joint. The movement comes from flexing the joint closest to the knuckle. Straightening your index finger opens the chopsticks and bending it closes them, with perhaps a slight flexing of the thumb to keep the chopsticks lined up with each other. (Note: this alternative is different from the photos in how the top chopstick is held. The movement comes from the top chopstick, not the bottom one, so the top chopstick is held so that it can be moved easily. Use the method that is comfortable for you.)

Step 4: Practice opening and closing the chopsticks. Make sure the broad ends of the chopsticks do not make an "X" as this will make it difficult to pick up food.

Step 5: Pick up food at a good angle (try roughly 45 degrees from the plate); slightly lift it up. If it feels unstable, put it down and try again. (and no, that is not me in the picture.)

Ok, so was this totally useless for anyone else??

i will master this before i die...i will!!

This picture of grumpy Jackson taken last week before church, explains how i feel right now b/c using chop sticks is too hard!