Chopstick bad manners in oneself and others
I think foreign residents in Japan actually seem on average to be better users of chopsticks than the Japanese, although I have absolutely no data to back up that claim, nor a similar claim that most foreigners’ chopstick skills outdo Japanese’s cutlery skills. However, there are a multitude of finer points of etiquette regarding these implements that may not be familiar to many of my readers, nor to me for that matter, so to see what faux pas our hosts may be looking out for, or indeed doing themselves, let’s look at a couple of surveys from goo Ranking on bad chopstick habits people have and bad manners in others that they can’t help noticing. Both surveys were conducted between the 20th and 24th of July 2007.
For me, in Q1 I do 1 rarely, 2 a bit with soba, and 5 sometimes. One manner not noted is rubbing the ends of your sticks together to get rid of splinters, which is apparently an insult to the restaurant or host that you think their chopsticks are cheap and splinter-prone.
Ranking results
Q1: Which chopstick bad manners can you just not break?
Rank 日本語 Explanation Score 1 渡し箸 watashi bashi: Resting chopsticks sideways across the top of dishes 100 2 探り箸 saguri bashi: Stirring soup trying to find that last chunk of tofu, etc 83.1 3 突き箸・刺し箸 tsuki bashi, sashi bashi: Spearing food then eating it 79.1 4 直箸 choku bashi: Not using the serving chopsticks, but your own sticks to get food from shared plates 71.2 5 もぎ箸 mogi bashi: Sucking off grains of rice, etc, stuck to the chopsticks 65.4 6 重ね箸 kasane bashi: Eating just one dish continuously 61.9 7 持ち箸 mochi bashi: Grabbing a dish, glass, etc whilst holding chopsticks in the same hand 61.6 8 迷い箸 mayoi bashi: Hovering chopsticks over the dishes while humming and hawing about what to eat 54.4 9 受け箸 uke bashi: Holding chopsticks when asking for more rice 44.8 10 掻き箸 kaki bashi: Holding a bowl to your mouth and shovelling food in 43.0 11 舐り箸 neburi bashi: Licking your chopsticks 27.6 12 撥ね箸 hane bashi: Pushing away disliked food with chopsticks 23.8 13 寄せ箸 yose bashi: Pulling dishes closer with chopsticks 23.5 14 洗い箸 arai bashi: Washing chopsticks in soup 16.3 15 指し箸 sashi bashi: Pointing at people or things with chopsticks 15.7 16 すかし箸 sukashi bashi: Rather than turning over a fish, picking away the meat from under the bones 14.8 17 揃え箸 soroe bashi: Suddenly lunging at dishes with chopsticks ready 13.1 18 空箸 kara bashi: Picking up food but not eating it 8.7 19 移り箸・渡り箸 utsuri bashi, watari bashi: Aiming to pick up one dish, but then suddenly switching to another 8.7 20 涙箸 namida bashi: Allowing tears of soup to drip from your chopsticks 7.8 Q2: Which chopstick bad manners in others can you just not help noting?
Rank 日本語 Explanation Score 1 仏箸 hotoke bashi: The gaijin etiquette book favourite, standing your chopsticks up in a bowl of rice 100 2 指し箸 sashi bashi: Pointing at people or things with chopsticks 91.9 3 叩き箸 tataki bashi: Making a noise by striking dishes with chopsticks 90.1 4 寄せ箸 yose bashi: Pulling dishes closer with chopsticks 84.8 5 舐り箸 neburi bashi: Licking your chopsticks 73.4 6 合わせ箸 awase bashi: Passing food from chopstick to chopstick - another foreigner etiquette book favourite 71.0 7 噛み箸 kami bashi: Chewing chopsticks 68.2 8 涙箸 namida bashi: Allowing tears of soup to drip from your chopsticks 67.4 9 突き箸・刺し箸 tsuki bashi, sashi bashi: Spearing food then eating it 62.6 10 せせり箸 seseri bashi: Poking or playing with your food using chopsticks 62.1 11 迷い箸 mayoi bashi: Hovering chopsticks over the dishes while humming and hawing about what to eat 56.1 12 移り箸・渡り箸 utsuri bashi, watari bashi: Aiming to pick up one dish, but then suddenly switching to another 49.9 13 空箸 kara bashi: Picking up food but not eating it 49.5 14 違い箸 chigai bashi: Using a mis-matched pair of chopsticks 48.0 15 洗い箸 arai bashi: Washing chopsticks in soup 46.2 16 撥ね箸 hane bashi: Pushing away disliked food with chopsticks 36.0 17 揃え箸 soroe bashi: Suddenly lunging at dishes with chopsticks ready 35.0 18 掻き箸 kaki bashi: Holding a bowl to your mouth and shovelling food in 33.1 19 持ち箸 mochi bashi: Grabbing a dish, glass, etc whilst holding chopsticks in the same hand 29.8 20 込み箸 komi bashi: Stuffing too much food into your mouth 28.0
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Jon Allen said,
September 1, 2007 @ 00:14
Thanks for the list. Perfect timing as i just arrived in Tokyo last week.
I had no idea ‘watashi bashi’ was bad.
I will make sure I avoid the rest as well.
I’m sure there are hundreds of other etiquette rules I am breaking.
What is the best “Etiquette for Gaijin” book?
Chopsticks right and wrong said,
September 3, 2007 @ 04:01
[…] What Japan Thinks has a really great report on chopsticks etiquette. […]
MF said,
September 3, 2007 @ 14:25
If you DON’T do 15 on questionnaire one, people in South China will get upset at you. There, it’s really bad luck to flip the fish — bad luck for the fisherman, that is. People believe if you flip the fish, the fisherman’s boat will flip. So, in places like Shenzhen, people just pick at the bottom half once they’ve finished eating the top. In places farther to the north, nobody seems familiar with this superstition.
bingobangoboy said,
September 3, 2007 @ 22:10
Watashi-bashi isn’t a terribly serious breach of etiquette, particularly in casual dining places (eg noodle shops, kaiten-sushi). that it’s at the top of the list is a good indication of how commonly people do it. But if there’s a chopstick holder, it’s always better to use it.
The awase-bashi warnings always get me. Where can I see people passing food from chopsticks to chopsticks? Cirque du Soleil?
ShortWoman» Blog Archive » Whatever Happened to Shorties Jane? said,
September 4, 2007 @ 03:14
[…] Baka hashi wo suru no hito. [stupid chopstick-using person] Ill-mannered ways to use one’s chopsticks. […]
TsukuBlog » Do You Have Good Chopstick Manners? said,
September 4, 2007 @ 13:09
[…] Japan Thinks: Chopstick Bad Manners Related […]
tarteaucitron said,
September 5, 2007 @ 10:40
So there’s actually a name to each chopstick infraction?
#16 is fine even if you’re at the southern chinese dinner table — as long as you say “the boat next to you” when you flip the fish.
BTW if you happen to be Chinese, you probably also do #10 all the time.
Richard Davies said,
September 13, 2007 @ 18:27
I understand that using a chopstick in each hand is very bad form.
Karine said,
September 27, 2007 @ 23:41
I saw my Japanese friends both doing “watashi bashi” and also playing with food with chopsticks, and not once. Also pointing at food with hashi. I guess those rules are for older generation Japanese, or some official meetings. I think younger (about 25 y.o) Japanese don’t really care for those as long you don’t stick the chopsticks into your nostrils
Dodgeblogium » Blog Archive » More Chopstick Etiquette Than You Can Shake A Stick At said,
November 22, 2007 @ 12:20
[…] going to Japan; but that’s now off, for fear that I’d accidentally commit some ghastly faux pas that would require me to perform ritual seppuku in front of the Emperor or […]
Bad Chopstick Manners in Japan said,
February 18, 2008 @ 12:35
[…] enough, whatjapanthinks has summarized this interesting survey from goo Ranking that gathered views on bad chopstick habits […]
Jason said,
May 22, 2008 @ 02:34
It might have been good to include references to why things are bad manners or bad luck, like the superstitions or associations that relate. I was told once (very sternly) that sticking chopsticks up in a bowl of rice is one of the worst table manners possible. Why? It’s the traditional way the Japanese put food in front of a grave to honor the dead.
It’s helpful to know what’s bad, but sometimes it’s critical to know why.
=)
Wildchild said,
May 22, 2008 @ 02:35
OK, here’s a question, wondering what the Japanese think of THIS…. While in the military in Japan, I was sent to live in Korea for several months. While there, I met a friend who learned a different method of using chopsticks while in Vietnam. He taught me to put one chopstick between thumb and forefinger, and the other pinched between the knuckles at the top and bottom of my middle and ring fingers.
This is actually an incredibly easy, dexterous way to use chopsticks, because it lets you move them in three dimensions (try it!), versus merely back and forth when using the standard method.
My question is whether using the chopsticks this way in Japan would be viewed as mannerless–sort of like holding a fork in a fist?
eugene said,
May 22, 2008 @ 03:38
I don’t know about the Japanese, but for most Koreans and Chinese, there’s a right way to hold chopsticks and then there are numerous wrong ways to hold chopsticks. I know several older people who will immediately form opinions on your upbringing based on how and how well you use your chopsticks.
Chinese John said,
May 22, 2008 @ 05:01
Interesting… Seems like chop stick manners are similiar to American fork and spoon manners… think about it…
and no one, not even the mighty Oshin can eat American Uncle Ben’s rice without doing the kaki bashi!!!
kaki bashi: Holding a bowl to your mouth and shovelling food in
edsamac said,
May 27, 2008 @ 00:10
Haha, this brings back memories. I committed myself to eat properly with chopsticks, but I have to admit that I only end up inadvertently committing #1 in Q1 when there is no chopstick rest to place my chopsticks. Besides that, the responses seem rather authentic.
However, when it comes to handling chopsticks, I believe I’m one that you could hardly call “graceful”. Some of my Japanese and Chinese friends criticize my handling, but I snub them away by pointing out their flaws in basic chopstick etiquette.
Thanks for the good read.