It has come to my attention that many people’s chopsticks woes are due to holding the chopsticks incorrectly. In the interests of promoting the use of my favorite type of utensils, I’ve prepared this handy guide to proper chopstick use, complete with photographic reference.
how not to hold chopsticks
I was inspired to write this article by The Doctor on Polymaths.social, who posted that chopsticks were giving him pain in his ring and pinky fingers.
Since the chopsticks shouldn’t even touch your ring and pinky fingers when held properly, I knew something was up. Here’s the picture he sent me:
taking it step by step
Let’s take this slowly. Instead of simply showing you a correct example, I want to walk you step by step through how to hold chopsticks. I’ve elected to use my bright orange set for better visibility.
step 1: hand placement
Before we mess with the sticks, let’s make sure your hand is positioned correctly.
Stretch your index finger straight out and lift your thumb upright (like finger guns), then curl your lower three fingers.
step 2: the first stick
The first chopstick should be placed in the gap between your thumb and index finger, resting on your middle finger. You don’t need to grasp it in any way, your thumb will hold it in place once the second stick is in play.
step 3: the second stick
The second stick should be held between your thumb and index finger, touching no other fingers. Don’t hold too tight, keep your fingers relaxed.
If you’re holding it correctly, the only finger you should need to move is your index finger.
If you’ve made it this far, you should now be able to hold your chopsticks correctly!
bonus tips
chopstick material
I personally don’t like wooden chopsticks too much; the texture makes it feel almost like I’m getting splinters while eating. Metal ones are also odd, their heat conductivity making them a little distracting to use. Plastic is great but a bit light. Mine are fiberglass, I believe.
It’s all a matter of personal preference, though.
practice food
Now that you’re holding chopsticks correctly, you’ll need some practice to level up your skills. Here are some recommended foods to try.
- Beginner: popcorn or potato chips. This may surprise you, but I use chopsticks to eat snack food all the time. Popcorn and potato chips are relatively easy to pick up and eat with chopsticks, plus not touching them directly keeps you from getting your fingers all dirty. Perfect for me if eating popcorn while working on my computer.
- Intermediate: a nice soup with long, ramen-like noodles. I love picking all the ingredients with my chopsticks, then taking care of the broth. Tom Yam is my favorite, if you have good Thai food near you. Bonus points if you use a Chinese soup spoon.
- Advanced: fried rice. Delicious, but picking up rice with your chopsticks is no easy task. With some practice, though, you should be able to handle it.
- Hardcore: M&Ms or Reese’s Pieces. I try to eat these with chopsticks as a challenge but it’s insanely difficult. Reese’s Pieces are somehow the harder of the two, though I’m not sure what makes a difference. Perhaps a different coating?
And, to conclude, here’s a video of me attempting to eat Reese’s Pieces with my chopsticks instead of studying for exams. (I did finally figure out a trick with a 20% success rate, after taking this.)
