Eight Roles: How to Use Chopsticks (from Zhongguo Wenhua Class)

Serving Chinese food on the dinning table; bowls of rice, chopsticks, couple dishes of meat and vegetables, a glass of wine or couple bottles of beer. Let's say that you are invited to have a dinner with your Chinese friend. According to Chinese roles, there are 8 roles you need to pay attention when using your chopsticks:

1. DON'T BE SO PICKY (忌迷筷); take whatever you get, you can not return whatever you have picked with your own chopsticks back into the dish plate (so pay attention, carefully pick what you want to pick as you can't return it back)
2. DON'T MESS UP THE DISH (忌翻筷); a tasty stir fried mixed vegetables are served in front of you. You know that you like the soft juicy enoki mushroom inside the dish very much. HOWEVER, you can not be so opportunistic to use your sticks moving the carrots, spinach, and so on, just to get the enoki which you notice still down at the bottom of the plate
3. DON'T STAB (忌刺筷); you are desperately try to pick a fish ball with your chopsticks, then what you need to do is to ask for a spoon, never ever try to stab the food with your chopsticks
4. NO STIRRING OR RINSING (忌涮筷); if you are having a hot pot of seafood soup, just take slowly what you want to pick, don't stir the soup with the chopsticks
5. CHOPSTICK IS NOT A LOLLIPOP (忌舐筷); therefore you can't put it into your mouth for long
6. CHOPSTICK IS NOT A TOOTH PICK (忌剔筷); so don't use it as your toothpick (you won't believe this, but some people does)
7. NOT EITHER A DRUM STICK (忌响筷); so don't make noise with your chopsticks (this is totally different from the Korean culture, they do make noise with the chopsticks for some reason)
8. NEVER ERECT your chopsticks above a bowl of rice (忌插筷); this position is served only in the altar for the decease

Now you are ready to use your chopsticks ... then ... Bon appetite! Enjoy your meals!