Message from Shawn Iguchi

<< How to Use Chopsticks >>

It is in the middle of the best season of the year in Japan now.

Spring (April and May) and Fall (October and November) are the best seasons and weather to visit Japan.

I will put off to post the dismal story of “The Battle against Globalism Part-3” for a while because it isn’t suitable for the season.

In a meanwhile, I will post something I always wanted to show.

Nowadays, Japanese food is becoming very popular all over the world. And many YouTubers are reporting their experiences of trying Japanese food.

I watch them and oftentimes feel, “Must be hard for them to use chopsticks”

Even some of native Japanese people aren’t good at using chopsticks.

So this time, I want to show you how to use chopsticks.

=< 1^st Chopstick >======

You have to wedge it in the deepest groove of crotch between the foot of thumb and palm.

(See the attached picture)

Support the chopstick with the tip of your ring finger and the crotch of your thumb. Then you press it down with your thumb at the foot of your thumb.

Now the chopstick is clutched firmly by three points and it doesn’t move at all.

Some people bend ring finger and support the chopstick with the side of ring finger but it becomes narrow width to support the chopstick with two points.

If you stretch your ring finger and make it straight, it becomes winder width to support the chopstick in two points so that the chopstick becomes even more firmly stabilized.

Wider grip is better than narrow grip to stabilize it.

This is the base chopstick which is supposed to always stay solid and stable.

=< 2^nd Chopstick >=========

Let’s add one more chopstick to complete the style.

You have three finger tips available to hold the other chopstick.

Hold the 2nd chopstick with the tips of your thumb, index finger, and middle finger.

Make sure your middle finger is straight. Also, hook the chopstick at the 2^nd joint of index finger.

Gently press the 2nd chopstick down with the tip of your thumb against the tip of middle finger and on the side of index finger where 2nd joint locates.

Now the 2^nd chopstick is clutched and secured by three points.

Try to move your middle finger up and down.

The tip of your thumb plays the role as a pivot of the chopstick movement.

Up and down motions are controlled by the middle finger.

=< Tips to make it work >=======

If you couldn’t pick up a thing well with chopsticks, then you have to be more conscious to press the first chopstick down at the foot of your thumb.

Solidly secured first chopstick is very important.

 
The tip of your ring finger has to feel the downward pressure and the tension.

If the first chopstick wasn’t clutched firm enough with tension, you couldn’t hold a thing with your chopsticks. So make sure the first chopstick is deeply wedged at the foot of your thumb and stabilized by pressing it down with your thumb while counter-forcing it upward with the tip of your ring finger.

The three points have to feel tension to stabilize the first chopstick when picking up a thing with chopsticks.

It will take a while till you get used to it because you haven’t used your fingers like that before. You finger muscles have to get used to it.

I hope this will help you learn how to use chopsticks.

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