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Q: Do you stick your chopsticks in your rice when you need your hands free?
I dare say that most of you have heard that this is a major no-no, sticking your chopsticks in the rice and leaving them pointing up, because it is like gang-bangers pouring a splash out of a forty to remember the dead, and that's only during special occasions like the tomb sweeping festival. Do it any other time and it's like saying "I wish you were dead." Only thing is when I get up to go and take a piss the most obvious, logical thing to do with a pair of chopsticks that I don't want to drop on a spitty, dirty, rat foot-printy floor, is stick them in the damn rice. But I don't. Never have. In fact the only time i've seen anyone do it was when a former employer took me and a couple of colleagues out for lunch. One of my colleagues spotted our boss do it and said "So you wish we were dead, do you?" which is how I got to learn about it in the first place.
i do but i stick them on the side, not in the center of my bowl
Where is that question about anti-establishment? Where the English speaking part of the world says 'stick it to the man' the Chinese say 'stick it too the rice'
as the OP states a reason based in supersttion and old wife philosophy I say it's BS.
mArtiAn:
Of course it's bullshit, but would you do it when invited round to someone's home for dinner knowing full well it would offend everyone at the table, just to make that point? Hmm?
Scandinavian:
if people who are savages (as in no proper chop stick holder) invite me for dinner I see no problem in doing so.
Also. What if I had been from a culture where it was the polite thing to do? I am not sure about any cultures that promotes this but: In China, picking up you bowl and slurping your food shows you are liking the food. In Korea (south) picking up the bowl is considered inappropriate. How would a Korean ever be polite in China and vice versa.
Samm11:
I think you should just stick to the cultural traditions of the place where you are in at the moment. Koreans in China should pick their bowl and Chinese in Korea should not, that's it.
Scandinavian:
Let's say you're an 80 year old Korean visiting China, do you expect him to ever pick up the bowl. What you are saying is pretty much the same as telling me to start spitting on the street isn't it.
Samm11:
no it's not the same. because NOT spitting in the street is not considered to be impolite in China. and not picking up your bowl is kinda impolite. so yeah, I would expect that hypothetical old Korean gentleman to pick up his bowl or to stay home.
mArtiAn:
Excuse me Scan but getting back to your earlier point I find it hard to believe that you seriously equate the tradition of sticking chopsticks straight up in a bowl of rice as a mark of respect for the dead as savagery. That seems somewhat harsh in its judgement.
Scandinavian:
there are several sides to it, there is if you understand/know the meaning of the action, there is if you come from a culture where the opposite is true so you'd have to be untrue to yourself in order to respect something, then there is the fact that the thing you are requested to respect is actually based on something that makes logical sense. See this last part is where I can say nothing makes sense because everything to do with tradition is based on sorcery and witchcraft.
But sure. Invite a couple of Russian guys how for vodka and respect their "throw the glass to the fireplace" tradition.
mArtiAn:
Well personally i'm with you in thinking tradition is basically nonsense, in fact I can't bloody stand it, it's a constant annoyance having to learn to do this or that or whatever for fear of offending someone, but then if i'm aware of a tradition such as the one about the rice for instance, and it doesn't in any way conflict with my own beliefs, i'll respect it............. whilst thinking 'what a load of bollocks'. It's like George Carlin says about religion and hats: "As a boy, one of the things they told us was that if a boy or a man went into church, he had to remove his hat in order to honor the presence of God, but they had already told me that God was everywhere. So I used to wonder, 'Well if God was everywhere, why would you even own a hat?' Why not show your respect, don't even buy a hat! And just to confuse things further, they told the women exactly the opposite! Catholic women and girls had to cover their heads when they went into church. Same as in Jewish temples, men have to cover their heads, women, not allowed to cover their heads. So try to figure this out. Catholic men and Jewish women, no hats. Catholic women and Jewish men, hats. Somebody's got the whole thing totally backwards, don't you think? What is this religious fascination with head gear? Every religion's got a different hat, did you ever notice that? The Hindus have a turban, the sheiks have a tall white turban, Jews have a yarmulke, Muslims have the keffiyah, the Bishop has a pointy hat on one day and a round hat on another day, the Cardinal has a red hat, the Pope has a white hat, everybody's got a hat! One group takes them off, another group puts them on. Personally I would not want to be a member of any group where you either can't wear a hat or you have to wear a hat. My first rule before joining any group has to be, hats optional"
I eat rice only in rightly made Italian Risotto form, with a fork.
I have been in a restaurant here with Chinese colleagues who did that very thing....and I said nothing...and they were not children either.
mArtiAn:
Well like I say, i've only seen it once, and it was directed at me and my friends, but now I know the meaning i'd certainly say so.
