Thread: Cultural Klimbim

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.

lol same problem. i think that the groove between the chop sticks should be bigger cuz when i split mine, they come nice at the bottem but at the top go zig zag. and i hold my chop sticks wrong, like a pencil, cuz its easier to manuver. i was once atta sushi bar with my white friend (Spin Da Ish Knows he's rele white) and he tried eating with chop sticks and he was messing up so much that a lady came over and did a trick where she put paper at the top bounded by a rubber band. can u explain, how is that a trick?



something like that, except instead of plastic it was a napkin

Originally Posted by Raimann

lol same problem. i think that the groove between the chop sticks should be bigger cuz when i split mine, they come nice at the bottem but at the top go zig zag. and i hold my chop sticks wrong, like a pencil, cuz its easier to manuver. i was once atta sushi bar with my white friend (Spin Da Ish Knows he's rele white) and he tried eating with chop sticks and he was messing up so much that a lady came over and did a trick where she put paper at the top bounded by a rubber band. can u explain, how is that a trick?



something like that, except instead of plastic it was a napkin

That trick is used to make it easier for beginners. With the paper/cardboard between the chopsticks and the rubber band around it you create something that resembles a pair tweezers. Like that you only have to put pressure on both legs of your chopstick 'tweezers' to pick up your food.

Huh, and I always thought that "Osaka" from Azumanga Daioh couldn't get her chopsticks just right because she was a ditz. Turns out she was genetically predisposed to an inability of breaking chopsticks!

Originally Posted by OdysseanPromise

Huh, and I always thought that "Osaka" from Azumanga Daioh couldn't get her chopsticks just right because she was a ditz. Turns out she was genetically predisposed to an inability of breaking chopsticks!

SPOILER:

That's okay! Chiyo teaches her how correctly in the end!