Using chopsticks just takes a little bit of practice.
- Rest the lower chopstick in the crook of your thumb and forefinger. Use your ring finger and little finger to steady the stick.
- Hold the upper chopstick as you would a pencil, between your middle and index fingers.
- Keep the lower chopstick still while you pivot the upper one against it. Make sure the tips meet and are the same length or you'll have a touch time picking up your food.
Where does the chopsticks name come from? In Chinese, the first character is a combination of the graphs for "quick" and "bamboo." One explanation for our word is that it comes from the Chinese-English pidgin of early immigrants. "Quick" became "chop chop" ("quickly") or "chopstick."