中国古代各式餐匙

Different spoons in ancient China

进食方式的差异，可能大程度上要归功于不同烹饪方式和饮食习惯。最传统的熟食烹饪方法有两种：烘烤和蒸煮。西方长期主食面包（烘烤），偏重肉类和乳制品；其中面包可以用手直接拿来吃，烤肉类使用刀叉辅佐。中国主食为粥和汤羹，特别是中国人做菜，一般都要彻底煮熟或烧熟；汤羹在烹饪时要辅以搅拌，享用时更要有工具捞取里面肉和菜，所以筷子是最合适的工具。

To a very large extent, the differences of cutleries are caused by different cooking & eating habits. Traditionally, there are two ways of cooking: roasting and boiling. Western people have long history of eating bread (roasting & baking), meat and dairy product; they use fingers to eat bread, fork and knife are for other dishes (roasted meat for the most of time). While in China, people have special favor for rice gruel and well cooked (boiled, steamed, stir-fried) food. For rice or meat gruel, people need tools to stir it when cooking and also tools to eat it, thus chopsticks are the best choice for both purposes.

宋代烹饪画像

A paint of the Cooking scenario in Song dynasty

最早看到中国人用筷子吃饭的西方人，对此十分好奇。17世纪80年代，中国天主教徒沈福宗（向欧洲介绍中国第一人）到访法国时，国王路易十四特别邀请他共同进餐，只为看他如何使用筷子。

Needless to say, westerners were very surprised when they first saw Chinese eat food with two sticks. And it is said when a Chinese Catholic（Michael Alphonsius Shen Fu-Tsung） came to France in 1780s, King Louis XIV invited him to dinner just to observe the way he eats with chopsticks!

筷子的礼仪

The etiquette for chopsticks

筷子的放法大有讲究。汉晋时期是直着放的; 唐代时横着放在桌面上；从宋代开始，筷子又改为直着放。直到今日，筷子在餐桌上一般都是直着放。

How to place your chopsticks? During Han and Jin Dynasties, they were placed vertical to the edge of table; in Tang dynasty, parallel to the edge of table; then in Song dynasty, people re-placed them vertically and the custom remained since then.

用餐时筷子的礼仪是什么呢？

What are the rules when using chopsticks?

1971年，美国国务卿基辛格访华，因为无法使用筷子而出了一点小小的洋相。之后为了增进两国关系，他特地让助手准备了一套练习拿筷子的道具。由此可见，掌握筷子的使用和礼仪很重要哦！您还知道哪些有关筷子的礼仪呢？欢迎与我们分享！

When Henry Alfred Kissinger first visited China in 1971, he was embarrassed for not knowing how to use chopsticks. Then he asked his assistant to prepare a whole set just to practice, in order to show his good intentions on promoting bilateral relations！What else do you know about the etiquette for chopsticks? Please share with us!

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