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Chapter 35

HOW TO USE CHOPSTICKS

If you find yourself at a restaurant that serves Asian food, you may discover that a pair of chopsticks is the only eating utensil provided.

The use of chopsticks is not a complicated maneuver. Here is a simple guide.

1. Place one chopstick in the crease of your thumb.

2. Brace the other chopstick against your middle finger.

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3. Use the two chopsticks, as if they were tweezers or pliers, to pick up bite-sized portions of food, dip them in soy sauce or other condiments, and then pop them into your mouth.

Using chopsticks may seem difficult, but you can handle them. After all, guys all over the world use them all the time. It may take a little practice, but before long you’ll find that you can master using chopsticks—the same way you can do any other thing you put effort into.

If a gentleman feels uneasy about trying to use chopsticks, he asks for a knife and fork instead. He would rather eat his meal without dropping his food than try to use equipment he hasn’t mastered yet.