How to use Japanese chopsticks: step by step
How to hold them
Rest the first chopstick between your thumb and ring finger, supported at the base of the thumb so it stays fixed. Hold the second like a pencil with thumb, index and middle finger. Only the second one moves.
Practise with confidence
Start with large, non-slippery pieces, such as chicken or tofu. Bring the plate closer if it is difficult. Wooden chopsticks with a textured tip are easier than lacquered ones.
Rest the first chopstick between your thumb and ring finger, supported at the base of the thumb so it stays fixed.
What not to do
Do not stick chopsticks upright in rice (it recalls funeral rites), do not pass food from chopsticks to chopsticks, do not point with them or use them to spear. When finished, rest them on the hashioki or on their wrapper.
And if it does not work
In a Japanese restaurant nobody will mind. If you prefer, ask for cutlery; what matters is enjoying the food.
Experience Teppei Nii’s cuisine
Japanese-Mediterranean tasting menu in the heart of Eixample, Barcelona.