Thread: Cultural Klimbim

wow i like that and the chop stick thing does look complicated
so do you still use them? you know for pratice or are you back to using forks
and spoons?

and its cool that you leanred something about how the see utensils over there
i never really thought about it but that makes since with the chop sticks
i liked this alot i cant wait to hear more of what you did over there.

and what is klimbim ? lol

Heya. Klimbim means "fuss" in German or something close to that. I called the title that because it was alliteration and I love alliteration. ^^; I still use chopsticks even now; I suppose I've gotten used to them somewhat, but not for everything. I keep about six pairs in my house, none of which are wood or disposable though, so the only "chopstick breaking" practice I get is when I go out for Chinese/Japanese food.

Strange I was always told I had to hold them a bit higher than the middle. Not at the bottom, not at the end.
Heh, that must've had something to do with being modest...

Originally Posted by Hassun

Strange I was always told I had to hold them a bit higher than the middle. Not at the bottom, not at the end.
Heh, that must've had something to do with being modest...

Ok let me clarify before some people get confused. ^^;


Above Image: An adult holding chopsticks near the top (sign of greater maturity)


Above Image: An example of someone holding chopsticks nearer the bottom (a sign of immaturity or inability)

Hope that makes it a bit clearer.

Originally Posted by Badlywornshoes

Badlywornshoes reporting in with more weird Japanese culture oddities, stories, trivia, and klimbim (just like in the old days! woohoo!)

There's a joke in Japan, it seems, about wooden chopsticks. Apparently, many foreigners (and Japanese people from the Osaka region I found out later) have a horrific time splitting apart wooden chopsticks, or getting an even break. I would notice a lot of the time when I went into a sushi bar or some place (especially Yokohama), everyone would stare at me while I broke my chopsticks. This seriously turned into a running gag after about two weeks straight. Fortunately I'm really good at breaking them in perfect halves, but I do tend to concentrate hard on it when people are watching me. I just imagine that anime vein bulging in my forehead while I'm sweating nervously to get it right.

Not only were the Japanese astonished as to my chopstick breaking skills, but they were shocked about where I held them in my hands. A Japanese friend of mine, whom I stayed with briefly during my trip, enlightened me in this regard. In Japan, children hold their chopsticks near the very bottom because they are insecure and need more strength to hold the sticks. But as you mature and grow wiser, it is said that you gradually hold your chopsticks increasingly further and further down the sticks until you're at the very tops, which is a sign of emotional and mental conquest in Japan. I'm hardly mature, but because of the quirky way I hold my pencils and pens, I have to hold the chopsticks at the tops regardless or I can't grip the food. The sushi chefs found this to be marvelous. It just goes to show you that something as insignificant as holding your eating utensils in Japan has a complicated background. It seems I have a lot more learning to do.

Wow i would explect that the japanese woudl do t with thier feet ebtter than me but i guess im not that great. But if they have a hard time then i wanna go into a jap restaurant and show em my chopstick skills!

You know what's funny? In Chinese culture, they hold the chopsticks as close as they can to the bottom! Ain't that quirky?

It took me a while to learn chopsticks, until finally my Lebanese friend showed me the trick! She gave me pens and told me to practice making them go up and down.

^_^ i hold them from a little higher than the middle... BARK!

Originally Posted by Abu Dhabi

You know what's funny? In Chinese culture, they hold the chopsticks as close as they can to the bottom! Ain't that quirky?

It took me a while to learn chopsticks, until finally my Lebanese friend showed me the trick! She gave me pens and told me to practice making them go up and down.

^_^ i hold them from a little higher than the middle... BARK!

i can hold them anywhere depending on what im eating and i guess its the chinese way to hold chop sticks liek that. Chopsticks has never been a problem to me because im so used to using them and now its just natrual how i do them. Its not as hard as people think and they way you hold it has no meaning. it just means thats how u learned it