Chopsticks vs. Western Cutlery

[Plains-Cow]

Have to disagree. Forks have way more utility. Putting chopsticks up against the whole suite of Western table utensils is almost a complete wipeout. I think most Eastern cuisines use spoons, so those should be included on the Eastern side. I'm not sure table knives are a traditional Eastern utensil; I think they're primarily for food prep & cooking in Eastern cuisines, but maybe I'm forgetting something.

How do forks have more utility than chopsticks? I am genuinely impressed that some people think that a singular western utensil can compete against chopsticks. The contest as-is is to see if people can think of ways for each group to be superior. I don't see how forks alone can beat chopsticks at much of anything.

 

[EgonSpengler]

How do forks have more utility than chopsticks? I am genuinely impressed that some people think that a singular western utensil can compete against chopsticks. The contest as-is is to see if people can think of ways for each group to be superior. I don't see how forks alone can beat chopsticks at much of anything.

There's only one food I can think of where chopsticks are clearly superior to a fork. I don't have enough space here to list all of the foods that forks are clearly the better choice for. (And of course there's a whole lot where it's six of one, a half-dozen of the other, including most East Asian foods.)

 

[Plains-Cow]

There's only one food I can think of where chopsticks are clearly superior to a fork. I don't have enough space here to list all of the foods that forks are clearly the better choice for. (And of course there's a whole lot where it's six of one, a half-dozen of the other, including most East Asian foods.)

List five where forks are better on their own vs. chopsticks.

 

[EgonSpengler]

List five where forks are better on their own vs. chopsticks.

I think there are at least 5 in the traditional American "Thanksgiving" meal: Sliced, roast turkey; mashed potatoes; a small-grain vegetable like peas or off-the-cob corn; large vegetables like roast squash; and a slice of pie.

Bread stuffing would be fine with chopsticks provided it's sticky enough, much like rice. Chopsticks would be a poor choice for Southern-style American rice, because the grains are supposed to be separate. I imagine a drier Thanksgiving stuffing would have a similar problem. You could probably also eat a good, oven-baked mac n' cheese with chopsticks. Cranberry sauce would be difficult with chopsticks, but there's the question of whether that's a food in itself or a condiment.


p.s. Chopsticks are also more difficult to use. I'm not counting that against them here - I'm assuming user proficiency in all cases - but it should be noted.

 

[Plains-Cow]

I think there are at least 5 in the traditional American "Thanksgiving" meal: Sliced, roast turkey; mashed potatoes; a small-grain vegetable like peas or off-the-cob corn; large vegetables like roast squash; and a slice of pie.

Bread stuffing would be fine with chopsticks provided it's sticky enough, much like rice. Chopsticks would be a poor choice for Southern-style American rice, because the grains are supposed to be separate. I imagine a drier Thanksgiving stuffing would have a similar problem. You could probably also eat a good, oven-baked mac n' cheese with chopsticks. Cranberry sauce would be difficult with chopsticks, but there's the question of whether that's a food in itself or a condiment.

1) Roll or fold slices of roast turkey with chopsticks if floppy, then lift to mouth and take bites. No different from a fork. Large pieces can just be picked up like dumplings.

2) Never had an issue eating mashed potatoes with chopsticks. No idea how a fork is better. I'd think most would use a spoon.

3) Corn and peas are served in a bowl, scooped into the mouth just like loose rice with chopsticks. Otherwise the fork is simply used as a spoon, again. I have never seen anyone use a fork to stab peas or corn.

4) Roast squash as in a whole, uncut but roasted one? Or sliced open/segmented already?

5) Pie is a finger food. People who eat pie with a fork are the kind of people who eat pizza with a fork.

I feel like most of the Thanksgiving items listed are better eaten with a spoon, and that a fork is simply filling the role of a poor-performing spoon. It doesn't make sense to compare them like that because chopsticks can do the same as a fork in that case.

 

[EgonSpengler]

The question, in my mind, isn't whether chopsticks can be used to make do with foods they aren't ideal for. For me, the question is more like, "If you had to eat a variety of global cuisines with nothing but a fork or nothing but a pair of chopsticks, which would be more universal?" Also, in the battle of fork vs chopsticks, the fact that a fork can be used a bit like a spoon counts in the fork's favor. That's one reason I think it's unfair to pit chopsticks against the whole suite of Western table utensils, because spoons are also a common item in Eastern cuisine. If we're eliminating spoons, they should be eliminated from both; and if we're eliminating spoons, I'd much rather be stuck with just a fork. As well, you can lift a bowl to your mouth and shovel the food with a fork even better than with chopsticks. If, for some reason, I had to lift a bowl to my mouth and shovel, I would select a fork to do it.


p.s. You would eat the syrupy fruit pies (apple pie, cherry pie) with your hands, even if you had a fork right there? I mean, sure, okay. You do you, man.

 

[fy00sh]

Sliced, roast turkey; mashed potatoes; a small-grain vegetable like peas or off-the-cob corn; large vegetables like roast squash; and a slice of pie.

sliced turkey would be fine with chopsticks if either thin enough to bunch up like coldcuts, or further cut/ripped into chunks, whereas roast vegetables can also be chunked. and all the rest arent even fork foods?? theyre spoon foods for sure, the spoon gives more scooping surface area, more carrying capacity, and the sides slope up to prevent stuff falling off. if your mashed potatoes are self adherent enough they dont fall out between the fork tines, then theyre liftable via chopsticks (and if they arent then theyre drinkable)
i could see an issue maybe if you put peas, decobbed corn, or nonadherent rice on a flat plate, then chopstick shoveling might present an issue sure, but at that point its not the fault of the chopsticks but rather the choice of dishware. put em in a bowl and lift to your face, *then* shovel w/ chopsticks only just separated enough so nothing passes between for optimal shoveling, easy peasy if youre good at chopsticks.
maybe we should assume for the sake of argument that choosing chopsticks instantly grants you chopstick mastery if not already possessed (and vice versa for the other cutlery)
also cheetos and other powdery snack foods are definitely not able to be picked up with a fork, much like sushi, whereas chopsticks manage fine. and i dont like getting dust on my fingies

 

[EgonSpengler]

sliced turkey would be fine with chopsticks if either thin enough to bunch up like coldcuts, or further cut/ripped into chunks, whereas roast vegetables can also be chunked. and all the rest arent even fork foods?? theyre spoon foods for sure, the spoon gives more scooping surface area, more carrying capacity, and the sides slope up to prevent stuff falling off. if your mashed potatoes are self adherent enough they dont fall out between the fork tines, then theyre liftable via chopsticks (and if they arent then theyre drinkable)
i could see an issue maybe if you put peas, decobbed corn, or nonadherent rice on a flat plate, then chopstick shoveling might present an issue sure, but at that point its not the fault of the chopsticks but rather the choice of dishware. put em in a bowl and lift to your face, *then* shovel w/ chopsticks only just separated enough so nothing passes between for optimal shoveling, easy peasy if youre good at chopsticks.
maybe we should assume for the sake of argument that choosing chopsticks instantly grants you chopstick mastery if not already possessed (and vice versa for the other cutlery)

Forks are better at all of these things, including lifting a bowl or plate to your mouth and shoveling. The debate isn't whether we could make do with chopsticks. We could. Also, that one would just set the chopsticks down and use your hands or a spoon is not a point in the chopsticks' favor, it's a demonstration of their limitations.

also cheetos and other powdery snack foods are definitely not able to be picked up with a fork, much like sushi, whereas chopsticks manage fine. and i dont like getting dust on my fingies

Good point. I haven't eaten Cheetos in probably 30 years, but I think a fork would be a disaster. To lift a Cheeto on the flat of a fork would require dexterity that I generally lack when I'm *ahem* impaired, which is probably when I would most want some Cheetos. And stabbing a Cheeto with a fork would probably just make it explode.

 

[Kaitzilla]

I eat with my hands and paper towels, as God intended.

 

[Birdjaguar]

In most cultures food is prepared with the eating utensils in mind. Hunks of meat in the west are cooked knowing that people will have a knife at the table. In China or Japan the meat is cut or sliced prior to cooking to accommodate the use of chopsticks. In the west rice is prepared to be less sticky than in the East. In the West we tend to dump all the food on a single plate where it can be mixed if desired. In China each dish is served separately and mixed prior to eating in a rice bowl or on a small plate. Eating is often a ritual that encompasses several aspects of which utensils are a part. Sometimes in the West a place setting will demand 3 forks, 2 knives, a spoon, and up to 3 glasses (or more). In China one usually sees chopsticks and a spoon. The question of which is better: forks or chopsticks? is just a narrow slice of larger comparison of how we feed ourselves.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

depends on dish. wanting to grab w/o fingers = chop sticks. but not for bowls of cereal etc.

 

[warpus]

2) Never had an issue eating mashed potatoes with chopsticks. No idea how a fork is better. I'd think most would use a spoon.

Surely the vast majority of people in the west eat mashed potatoes with a fork. If I ever saw a person eating mashed potatoes with a spoon I'd assume they looked for a fork first but could only find a spoon.

 

[Bamspeedy]

Order mash potatoes for a takeout order, I get a spoon. Most will use a fork because they already have a fork in hand from eating the other stuff on their plate.

 

[Farm Boy]

1) Roll or fold slices of roast turkey with chopsticks if floppy, then lift to mouth and take bites. No different from a fork. Large pieces can just be picked up like dumplings.

2) Never had an issue eating mashed potatoes with chopsticks. No idea how a fork is better. I'd think most would use a spoon.

3) Corn and peas are served in a bowl, scooped into the mouth just like loose rice with chopsticks. Otherwise the fork is simply used as a spoon, again. I have never seen anyone use a fork to stab peas or corn.

4) Roast squash as in a whole, uncut but roasted one? Or sliced open/segmented already?

5) Pie is a finger food. People who eat pie with a fork are the kind of people who eat pizza with a fork.

I feel like most of the Thanksgiving items listed are better eaten with a spoon, and that a fork is simply filling the role of a poor-performing spoon. It doesn't make sense to compare them like that because chopsticks can do the same as a fork in that case.

A fork is a poke-fork, a scoop-spoon, and a side-knife all in one.

Proper messy pies are not finger foods. Now I like barbarian-ing food just fine, but I'm not eating pecan pie at the dinner table with my hands. That's for later in the evening when there's nobody around to pretend that we haven't given up on life.

I poke corn occassionally when I'm not in a hurry, or if I've cleaned everything else off my plate and don't have anything to push the corn up against to get it on a spoon/fork. Just poke and go.

 

[warpus]

Order mash potatoes for a takeout order, I get a spoon. Most will use a fork because they already have a fork in hand from eating the other stuff on their plate.

Sure, but how common is it for somebody to order mashed potatoes as the main dish? They are usually eaten with something else, which is why the fork is usually the go-to, since you're already cutting up and eating meat, or whatever.

Don't get me wrong, I don't mean to criticize your life choices, as I think this is actually a great one. I LOVE mashed potatoes. If you told me that tomorrow I'd be eating mashed potatoes w/ gravy for all 3 meals, I would be ecstatic. It's just that they almost always arrive as a sidekick.

 

[Kaitzilla]

Is there a German word for a plastic utensil that breaks as soon as you use it?

 

[Farm Boy]

Yes baked potatoes, which stuck by comparison, get laid out like the carbs feast they are.

 

[Plains-Cow]

The question, in my mind, isn't whether chopsticks can be used to make do with foods they aren't ideal for. For me, the question is more like, "If you had to eat a variety of global cuisines with nothing but a fork or nothing but a pair of chopsticks, which would be more universal?" Also, in the battle of fork vs chopsticks, the fact that a fork can be used a bit like a spoon counts in the fork's favor. That's one reason I think it's unfair to pit chopsticks against the whole suite of Western table utensils, because spoons are also a common item in Eastern cuisine. If we're eliminating spoons, they should be eliminated from both; and if we're eliminating spoons, I'd much rather be stuck with just a fork. As well, you can lift a bowl to your mouth and shovel the food with a fork even better than with chopsticks. If, for some reason, I had to lift a bowl to my mouth and shovel, I would select a fork to do it.


p.s. You would eat the syrupy fruit pies (apple pie, cherry pie) with your hands, even if you had a fork right there? I mean, sure, okay. You do you, man.

Again, not meant to be fair. If you think that the prompt as it's written favors the western group, then vote for it. I'd also like to ask how sloppy are we talking about pie-wise? It seems like spoon turf again. If you'd like to give a text-based answer about it sans-spoons in western cutlery, then go for it. You thinking chopsticks are lesser there, too?

sliced turkey would be fine with chopsticks if either thin enough to bunch up like coldcuts, or further cut/ripped into chunks, whereas roast vegetables can also be chunked. and all the rest arent even fork foods?? theyre spoon foods for sure, the spoon gives more scooping surface area, more carrying capacity, and the sides slope up to prevent stuff falling off. if your mashed potatoes are self adherent enough they dont fall out between the fork tines, then theyre liftable via chopsticks (and if they arent then theyre drinkable)
i could see an issue maybe if you put peas, decobbed corn, or nonadherent rice on a flat plate, then chopstick shoveling might present an issue sure, but at that point its not the fault of the chopsticks but rather the choice of dishware. put em in a bowl and lift to your face, *then* shovel w/ chopsticks only just separated enough so nothing passes between for optimal shoveling, easy peasy if youre good at chopsticks.
maybe we should assume for the sake of argument that choosing chopsticks instantly grants you chopstick mastery if not already possessed (and vice versa for the other cutlery)
also cheetos and other powdery snack foods are definitely not able to be picked up with a fork, much like sushi, whereas chopsticks manage fine. and i dont like getting dust on my fingies

That's what I'm thinking, too. It seems like people are more into the idea of a spoon vs. chopstick fight rather than a fork. Forks just can't do anything chopsticks can. Hence, why you need to include the spoon in the western group, or I'd think people would pick chopsticks en masse.

In most cultures food is prepared with the eating utensils in mind. Hunks of meat in the west are cooked knowing that people will have a knife at the table. In China or Japan the meat is cut or sliced prior to cooking to accommodate the use of chopsticks. In the west rice is prepared to be less sticky than in the East. In the West we tend to dump all the food on a single plate where it can be mixed if desired. In China each dish is served separately and mixed prior to eating in a rice bowl or on a small plate. Eating is often a ritual that encompasses several aspects of which utensils are a part. Sometimes in the West a place setting will demand 3 forks, 2 knives, a spoon, and up to 3 glasses (or more). In China one usually sees chopsticks and a spoon. The question of which is better: forks or chopsticks? is just a narrow slice of larger comparison of how we feed ourselves.

What came first, the small chopping or the chopsticks?

depends on dish. wanting to grab w/o fingers = chop sticks. but not for bowls of cereal etc.

Do you have a preference for chopsticks vs. forks?

Order mash potatoes for a takeout order, I get a spoon. Most will use a fork because they already have a fork in hand from eating the other stuff on their plate.

How thick are your mash orders? Lots of gravy mixed in if a spoon is needed all the time, I'd think. I don't fancy mash soup. Thick mash-best mash.

Surely the vast majority of people in the west eat mashed potatoes with a fork. If I ever saw a person eating mashed potatoes with a spoon I'd assume they looked for a fork first but could only find a spoon.

I cannot remember the last time I ate mash with a fork, ever, and I've lived in the West all my life. I always see most mash dishes with gravy (which folks seem to use to cut the mash given with takeaways.....)

 

[Bamspeedy]

Sure, but how common is it for somebody to order mashed potatoes as the main dish? They are usually eaten with something else, which is why the fork is usually the go-to, since you're already cutting up and eating meat, or whatever.

Don't get me wrong, I don't mean to criticize your life choices, as I think this is actually a great one. I LOVE mashed potatoes. If you told me that tomorrow I'd be eating mashed potatoes w/ gravy for all 3 meals, I would be ecstatic. It's just that they almost always arrive as a sidekick.

One kid doesn't like fries that much, so when we can, we order him some mashed potatoes to go with his burger. Granted, maybe perhaps he is given a spoon because maybe the burger restaurant doesn't have forks but does have an abundance of spoons because of their ice cream.

 

[amadeus]

Chopsticks are used in traditional Japanese funeral rites.

When I lived in the USA, I never brought a fork to church.