16: Chopstick Etiquette Basics

If you’ve ever eaten Japanese or other East Asian food, you’ve probably learned how to use chopsticks, so you may well hear the phrase, “o-hashi jozu desu ne!” (you’re good at using chopsticks!). But to really impress your Japanese friends, hosts, or dining companions, show that you know a little table etiquette as well. Here are a few tips. 

Don’t eat directly from common dishes with your personal chopsticks. If there is a set of communal serving chopsticks, use those to move a bit of food onto your own plate; if there’s no communal set, turn yours around and use the end that hasn’t been in your mouth. Similarly, don’t hover over common dishes with your chopsticks whilst deciding what to eat next. 

There are a few gestures that remind people of funeral ceremonies, so are never done at the table: Sticking your chopsticks straight up into your rice; crossing your chopsticks on the table; and passing food from your chopsticks to someone else’s. To avoid the first two, use the chopsticks rest to lay them down parallel to each other when you aren’t using them, or if one isn’t provided, fold the wrapper to create one. To avoid the third, you can ask for your dining companion’s plate to serve them.