Held between the thumb and fingers of one hand, chopsticks are used like tongs to pick up portions of food which are prepared and brought to the table in small and convenient pieces.
Hold one chopstick between your thumb and middle finger. Position the chopstick so that it lies at the base of your thumb (on the joint) and at the lower joint of the middle finger. This chopstick shouldn't touch the forefinger. Place the other chopstick between your thumb and forefinger. The side of the chopstick should rest against the tip of your thumb; the top of the chopstick should rest against the pad of your forefinger. Hold it steady and practice opening and closing the chopsticks.
DOs and DON'Ts with your chopsticks
Decide what to pick up before reaching with chopsticks, instead of hovering them over or rummaging through dishes.
Keep chopsticks off the table, they can be rested horizontally on one's plate or bowl; a chopstick rest (commonly found in restaurants) can also be used.
When picking up a piece of food, never use the tips of your chopsticks to penetrate the food as with a fork; exceptions include tearing apart larger items such as vegetables. In more informal settings, smaller items or those more difficult to pick up such as cherry tomatoes of fishballs may be stabbed, but this is frowned upon by traditionalists.
Never stab chopsticks vertically into a bowl of rice, as this resembles incense sticks used at temples to pay respects to the deceased. So it looks like you are wishing death upon a person at the table! This is considered the ultimate dinner table faux pas.
Never tap on your bowl with your chopsticks. When the food is coming too slow in a restaurant, people will tap their bowls. If you are in someone's home, it is like insulting the cook.
Never point the chopsticks at another person. This amounts to insulting that person and is a major faux pas.
Never wave your chopsticks around as if they were an extension of your hand gestures.
Never bang chopsticks like drumsticks. This is akin to telling others at the table you are a beggar.
Never use chopsticks to move bowls or plates.
Never suck the chopsticks.
