Very interesting. I think I recall seeing sticks vertical in a bowl in Korea as well. Amazing how the wrong gesture can mean something horrifically different, but it's similar to a fob (fresh off the boat) Indian who's in the US pointing with his middle finger.KuroNekko wrote:The etiquette differs a bit here and there. For example, the Japanese consider passing food from chopsticks to chopsticks a taboo (stems from this being done with bones in funerals) but it's allowed in some instances in China. The Chinese and Japanese also lay their chopsticks down differently. Vertically in China, horizontally in Japan.
The Chinese and Japanese allow you to lift the bowl up with your hand to eat the food with chopsticks while Koreans consider this taboo.
It's taboo in Japan and China to stick chopsticks vertically in rice because this is done in funerals for the deceased.
Here's a rather comical explanation of chopsticks in Japan.
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That video was pretty funny, but explained why I sometimes don't have proper separation of my chopsticks when in restaurants. I'll have to keep trying like in the video.
In the video it also mentions chopsticks made from bone. Is this still common? Are other 'taboo' materials used like ivory?
