Eating with chopsticks

Eating at Japanese restaurants has never been a fave of mine, not only because I am not really into Japanese food, but also because I do not know how to use the chopsticks  (Psst, I hate using it!). I tried to learn how to use chopsticks but never succeeded. One, because I did not have the patience, and two, because of pride.

Okay, let's talk about pride, lol. I said I am a Filipino, I am comfortable using spoon and fork, and even in Japanese restaurants, customers are allowed (though, most often than not, frowned upon, duh!) to use spoon and fork, so why bother? I said to myself and to my friends that I will probably just die not learning the art (yes, art!) of using the chopsticks and that I don't care at all. Pride, ha?

Now, why talk about eating with chopsticks? Because, while I am proud to be a Filipino, it makes sense that when I am in a Japanese restaurant or eating Japanese food, eating with chopsticks is the appropriate thing to do. And because all my colleagues use  chopsticks while I stick to my spoon and fork and when I look at them having fun eating sashimi and sushi and maki rolls with chopsticks on their hand, there I was, looking (and feeling!) so dumb, holding my fork and having the most awkward moment of trying to eat a maki roll without breaking the roll apart! Whew, I often feel so out of place.

So at 41 (hey, no one is too old to learn something new!), I studied the proper use of chopsticks and even the proper way of eating a sashimi and a sushi, AND IT FEELS GOOD man! Hahaha. Okay, not only did I learn the trick, one of my twin sons learned it, too. He was around when I was watching the videos and he got so interested he said he wanted to learn how to use the chopsticks.

So you see, it's time to practice what we've learned and share the lesson with my other children. It's high time they learn it, too. Happy eating with chopsticks (or your finger, lol)!