East Asian Culture Thread

[GoGetIt]

East Asian countries are just pathetic,we share similar culture but can't unify.

 

[Fsjal]

East Asian countries are just pathetic,we share similar culture but can't unify.

It's mainly because of nationalism.

Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc. Pretty much you guys cannot connect and unite together because of nationalism.

 

[Aepsilons]

UNESCO adds Japan's traditional "washi" paper to Intangible Cultural Heritage list

TOKYO, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- UNESCO has added Japanese traditional handmade paper called "washi" to its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage, which will likely help create more international awareness about the time-honored craft as well as aid the historical industries'production and exports.


According to UNESCO, the specific products registered are Hosokawa-gami, washi from Saitama prefecture, Honmino-gami from Gifu prefecture and Sekishubanshi from Shimane prefecture.

It is in these prefectures that the craftspeople, with their trade passed down from generation to generation, adhere strictly to the original traditional techniques to produce the special paper by hand and only use the fibers from paper mulberry.

Known as "kozogami," the washi made from paper mulberry is widely known for its durability, and has an appearance closer to that of cloth rather than other more delicate washi, such as those crafted from the fibers of gampi tree bark, mitsumata shrubs, or even those made from bamboo, hemp, rice or wheat.

Such is the sturdiness of the kozogami washi that it retains its original durability when treated to become water resistant, separating it, in part, from other washi.

The government last year decided to seek registration with UNESCO for all three products, with the proposal accepted by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's Intergovernmental Committee during a meeting in Paris on Wednesday, Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs said Thursday.

Japan has seen 22 successful Intangible Cultural Heritage registrations, including one for"washoku" cuisine, which was listed last year -- the food and eating culture of washoku, is deeply-rooted in Japan's culinary history.


UNESCO adds Japan's traditional "washi" paper to Intangible Cultural Heritage list - Xinhua | English.news.cn

The Art of Washi : Kamisuki

View attachment 164211

View attachment 164213

 

[Edison Chen]

A Brief History of Chopsticks

We’ve discussed the story of the knife and fork, but there’s another set of utensils used by billions of people around the world—and it has a truly ancient past. The Chinese have been wielding chopsticks since at least 1200 B.C., and by A.D. 500 the slender batons had swept the Asian continent from Vietnam to Japan. From their humble beginnings as cooking utensils to paper-wrapped bamboo sets at the sushi counter, there’s more to chopsticks than meets the eye.

The fabled ruins of Yin, in Henan province, provided not only the earliest examples of Chinese writing but also the first known chopsticks—bronze sets found in tombs at the site. Capable of reaching deep into boiling pots of water or oil, early chopsticks were used mainly for cooking. It wasn’t until A.D. 400 that people began eating with the utensils. This happened when a population boom across China sapped resources and forced cooks to develop cost-saving habits. They began chopping food into smaller pieces that required less cooking fuel—and happened to be perfect for the tweezers-like grip of chopsticks.

As food became bite-sized, knives became more or less obsolete. Their decline—and chopsticks’ ascent—also came courtesy of Confucius. As a vegetarian, he believed that sharp utensils at the dinner table would remind eaters of the slaughterhouse. He also thought that knives’ sharp points evoked violence and warfare, killing the happy, contended mood that should reign during meals. Thanks in part to his teachings, chopstick use quickly became widespread throughout Asia.

Different cultures adopted different chopstick styles. Perhaps in a nod to Confucius, Chinese chopsticks featured a blunt rather than pointed end. In Japan, chopsticks were 8 inches long for men and 7 inches long for women. In 1878 the Japanese became the first to create the now-ubiquitous disposable set, typically made of bamboo or wood. Wealthy diners could eat with ivory, jade, coral, brass or agate versions, while the most privileged used silver sets. It was believed that the silver would corrode and turn black if it came into contact with poisoned food.

Throughout history, chopsticks have enjoyed a symbiotic relationship with another staple of Asian cuisine: rice. Naturally, eating with chopsticks lends itself to some types of food more than others. At first glance, you’d think that rice wouldn’t make the cut, but in Asia most rice is of the short- or medium-grain variety. The starches in these rices create a cooked product that is gummy and clumpy, unlike the fluffy and distinct grains of Western long-grain rice. As chopsticks come together to lift steaming bundles of sticky rice, it’s a match made in heaven.

A Brief History of Chopsticks — Hungry History — Food & Culinary History

The English word "chopstick" may have derived from Chinese Pidgin English, a pidgin in which "chop chop" meant "quickly".[1][2] According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the earliest published use of the word is in the 1699 book Voyages and descriptions by William Dampier: "[T]hey are called by the English seamen Chopsticks".[3]

The Chinese term for chopsticks is kuaizi (Chinese: 筷子). The first character (筷) is a semantic-phonetic compound with a phonetic part meaning "quick" (快), and a semantic part meaning "bamboo" (竹).[4] "Kuaizi" means a sort of imperative good wish, such as the wish for newlyweds to have sons soon.[5][better source needed]

In ancient written Chinese, the character for chopsticks was zhu (箸; Middle Chinese reconstruction: d̪jwo-). Although it may have been widely used in ancient spoken Chinese, its use was eventually replaced by the pronunciation for the character kuai (快), meaning "quick". The original character, though still commonly used in writing, is rarely used in modern spoken Chinese languages, with the exception of modern Hokkien, which maintains the old usage.

For written semantic differentiation between the "fast" (快) versus "chopsticks", a new character was created for "chopsticks" (筷) by adding the "bamboo" (竹) radical (⺮) to it.[6]

In Japanese, chopsticks are called hashi (箸). They are also known as otemoto (おてもと), a phrase commonly printed on the wrappers of disposable chopsticks. Te means hand and moto means the area under or around something. The preceding o is used for politeness.[7]

In Korean, 저 (箸, jeo) is used in the compound jeotgarak (젓가락) which is composed of jeo (chopsticks) and garak (stick). Jeo cannot be used alone, but can be found in other compounds such as sujeo (수저), meaning "spoon and chopsticks".

In Vietnamese, chopsticks are called "đũa", which is written as with 竹 trúc (bamboo) as the semantic, and 杜 đỗ as the phonetic part in Chữ Nôm.

Chopsticks - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Aepsilons]

A Brief History of Chopsticks

We’ve discussed the story of the knife and fork, but there’s another set of utensils used by billions of people around the world—and it has a truly ancient past. The Chinese have been wielding chopsticks since at least 1200 B.C., and by A.D. 500 the slender batons had swept the Asian continent from Vietnam to Japan. From their humble beginnings as cooking utensils to paper-wrapped bamboo sets at the sushi counter, there’s more to chopsticks than meets the eye.

The fabled ruins of Yin, in Henan province, provided not only the earliest examples of Chinese writing but also the first known chopsticks—bronze sets found in tombs at the site. Capable of reaching deep into boiling pots of water or oil, early chopsticks were used mainly for cooking. It wasn’t until A.D. 400 that people began eating with the utensils. This happened when a population boom across China sapped resources and forced cooks to develop cost-saving habits. They began chopping food into smaller pieces that required less cooking fuel—and happened to be perfect for the tweezers-like grip of chopsticks.

As food became bite-sized, knives became more or less obsolete. Their decline—and chopsticks’ ascent—also came courtesy of Confucius. As a vegetarian, he believed that sharp utensils at the dinner table would remind eaters of the slaughterhouse. He also thought that knives’ sharp points evoked violence and warfare, killing the happy, contended mood that should reign during meals. Thanks in part to his teachings, chopstick use quickly became widespread throughout Asia.

Different cultures adopted different chopstick styles. Perhaps in a nod to Confucius, Chinese chopsticks featured a blunt rather than pointed end. In Japan, chopsticks were 8 inches long for men and 7 inches long for women. In 1878 the Japanese became the first to create the now-ubiquitous disposable set, typically made of bamboo or wood. Wealthy diners could eat with ivory, jade, coral, brass or agate versions, while the most privileged used silver sets. It was believed that the silver would corrode and turn black if it came into contact with poisoned food.

Throughout history, chopsticks have enjoyed a symbiotic relationship with another staple of Asian cuisine: rice. Naturally, eating with chopsticks lends itself to some types of food more than others. At first glance, you’d think that rice wouldn’t make the cut, but in Asia most rice is of the short- or medium-grain variety. The starches in these rices create a cooked product that is gummy and clumpy, unlike the fluffy and distinct grains of Western long-grain rice. As chopsticks come together to lift steaming bundles of sticky rice, it’s a match made in heaven.

A Brief History of Chopsticks — Hungry History — Food & Culinary History

The English word "chopstick" may have derived from Chinese Pidgin English, a pidgin in which "chop chop" meant "quickly".[1][2] According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the earliest published use of the word is in the 1699 book Voyages and descriptions by William Dampier: "[T]hey are called by the English seamen Chopsticks".[3]

The Chinese term for chopsticks is kuaizi (Chinese: 筷子). The first character (筷) is a semantic-phonetic compound with a phonetic part meaning "quick" (快), and a semantic part meaning "bamboo" (竹).[4] "Kuaizi" means a sort of imperative good wish, such as the wish for newlyweds to have sons soon.[5][better source needed]

In ancient written Chinese, the character for chopsticks was zhu (箸; Middle Chinese reconstruction: d̪jwo-). Although it may have been widely used in ancient spoken Chinese, its use was eventually replaced by the pronunciation for the character kuai (快), meaning "quick". The original character, though still commonly used in writing, is rarely used in modern spoken Chinese languages, with the exception of modern Hokkien, which maintains the old usage.

For written semantic differentiation between the "fast" (快) versus "chopsticks", a new character was created for "chopsticks" (筷) by adding the "bamboo" (竹) radical (⺮) to it.[6]

In Japanese, chopsticks are called hashi (箸). They are also known as otemoto (おてもと), a phrase commonly printed on the wrappers of disposable chopsticks. Te means hand and moto means the area under or around something. The preceding o is used for politeness.[7]

In Korean, 저 (箸, jeo) is used in the compound jeotgarak (젓가락) which is composed of jeo (chopsticks) and garak (stick). Jeo cannot be used alone, but can be found in other compounds such as sujeo (수저), meaning "spoon and chopsticks".

In Vietnamese, chopsticks are called "đũa", which is written as with 竹 trúc (bamboo) as the semantic, and 杜 đỗ as the phonetic part in Chữ Nôm.

Chopsticks - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Chopsticks In Japan

So chopsticks in China really got popular around 500 AD. How long did the chopstick craze take to get to Japan? Well, the oldest official records of chopsticks being used in Japan is from the Kojiki, written in 712AD, but they probably made it over there even sooner than that. Chinese culture made its way over to Japan through Korea earlier than that, and the chopsticks were sure to have been one of the things that made it over.

In the beginning, chopsticks were only used in Japanese ceremonies. These early Japanese chopsticks were made from bamboo and were joined at the top, kind of like those “trainer” chopsticks you see today.

Gradually these chopsticks made their way into the home and became used for eating on a regular basis. The first recorded instances of separated chopsticks being used for normal eating don’t show up until 10th century Japan, but like before, people were probably doing this for a long time in some areas before someone thought it was a good idea to actually write down “Hey guys, we’re using chopsticks to eat with now, k?”

Japanese Chopsticks Vs. The World’s


From top to bottom: Plastic chopsticks from Taiwan, porcelain chopsticks from mainland China, bamboo chopsticks from Tibet, Vietnamese style palmwood chopsticks from Indonesia, stainless flat chopsticks from Korea with spoon, a Japanese couple’s set, Japanese child’s chopsticks, and disposables

Did you know that not all chopsticks are alike? There are distinct differences between Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Vietnamese chopsticks.

Japanese chopsticks are usually shorter than other chopsticks and taper to a fine point. They are traditionally made of bamboo or wood and are often lacquered. Japanese chopsticks also come in kid sizes and woman sizes which are even shorter than standard sizes. Bento sized chopsticks, which fit inside of bento boxes, can also be quite short and sometimes made of colorful plastic.

In Korea, chopsticks are a medium length with a flat rectangular shape. They are traditionally made from brass or silver and are used simultaneously with a spoon.

Chinese chopsticks are longer and thicker than both Japanese and Korean chopsticks. They have squared or rounded sides and end in blunt, flat tips. They can be made from many materials but are most commonly made from melamine plastic or lacquered bamboo.

Vietnamese chopsticks are usually longer than most. These chopsticks taper to a blunt point like Chinese ones and are traditionally made from lacquered wood or bamboo.

 

[Edison Chen]

Why Do Asian Nations Use Chopsticks?

Bonus Facts:

• Ancient spoons in China also sometimes featured a pointy end to be used as a one prong fork / knife… perhaps the first known instance of the spork or spnife, depending on how you want to look at it.
• The ruins of Yin provide both the earliest examples of Chinese writing as well as the first known chopsticks. They were a bronze set that were found in one of the tombs at the site.
• Traditionally, Chinese chopsticks are made from wood or bamboo that’s unfinished. In comparison, Japanese chopsticks are traditionally finished.
• Chopstick etiquette is also a highly important factor in Asian cultures and history. They can also vary greatly from country to country and from person to person, but in general:
  • In traditional Chinese culture, it’s poor etiquette to:
    • Spear your food with your chopsticks.
    • Dig around in your food for a particular item. This is referred to as “digging your grave” and is considered extremely rude.
    • Tap your chopsticks on the edge of your bowl. This is what beggars do to attract attention.
    • Children to hold their chopsticks incorrectly, as this will reflect poorly on the parents.
  • In Japanese culture , it’s poor etiquette to:
    • Cross your chopsticks on the table.
    • Stick your chopsticks vertically in rice, as this is a practise reserved for funerals.
    • Transfer food from your chopsticks to another persons.
  • In Taiwanese culture, it’s poor etiquette to:
    • Bite on your chopsticks or to let them linger in your mouth for too long.
    • Use your chopsticks to pick up contents from a soup bowl.
    • Place your chopsticks on the table. You should either use a chopstick rest or place them across the top of your bowl.
  • In Korean culture, it’s poor etiquette to:
    • Pick up your utensils before your elders.
    • Brings your bowl closer to your mouth to eat.
    • Use chopsticks to eat rice unless you’re someone considered lower class. Spoons should be used instead.
  • In Vietnamese culture, it’s poor etiquette to:
    • Place you chopsticks in the shape of a V once you’ve finished eating. This is considered to be a bad omen.
    • Pick up food directly from the table and eat it. The item should be placed in your own bowl first.
    • Place your chopsticks in your mouth whilst choosing food.

 

[Aepsilons]

Why Do Asian Nations Use Chopsticks?

Bonus Facts:

• Ancient spoons in China also sometimes featured a pointy end to be used as a one prong fork / knife… perhaps the first known instance of the spork or spnife, depending on how you want to look at it.
• The ruins of Yin provide both the earliest examples of Chinese writing as well as the first known chopsticks. They were a bronze set that were found in one of the tombs at the site.
• Traditionally, Chinese chopsticks are made from wood or bamboo that’s unfinished. In comparison, Japanese chopsticks are traditionally finished.
• Chopstick etiquette is also a highly important factor in Asian cultures and history. They can also vary greatly from country to country and from person to person, but in general:
  • In traditional Chinese culture, it’s poor etiquette to:
    • Spear your food with your chopsticks.
    • Dig around in your food for a particular item. This is referred to as “digging your grave” and is considered extremely rude.
    • Tap your chopsticks on the edge of your bowl. This is what beggars do to attract attention.
    • Children to hold their chopsticks incorrectly, as this will reflect poorly on the parents.
  • In Japanese culture , it’s poor etiquette to:
    • Cross your chopsticks on the table.
    • Stick your chopsticks vertically in rice, as this is a practise reserved for funerals.
    • Transfer food from your chopsticks to another persons.
  • In Taiwanese culture, it’s poor etiquette to:
    • Bite on your chopsticks or to let them linger in your mouth for too long.
    • Use your chopsticks to pick up contents from a soup bowl.
    • Place your chopsticks on the table. You should either use a chopstick rest or place them across the top of your bowl.
  • In Korean culture, it’s poor etiquette to:
    • Pick up your utensils before your elders.
    • Brings your bowl closer to your mouth to eat.
    • Use chopsticks to eat rice unless you’re someone considered lower class. Spoons should be used instead.
  • In Vietnamese culture, it’s poor etiquette to:
    • Place you chopsticks in the shape of a V once you’ve finished eating. This is considered to be a bad omen.
    • Pick up food directly from the table and eat it. The item should be placed in your own bowl first.
    • Place your chopsticks in your mouth whilst choosing food.

Ed, you notice that some cultures in Southeast Asia eat with their fingers? The Thai, Lao, Khmer, Burmese, Malays, and also Filipinos. I noticed this when I went to a Thai Restaurant one time, i ordered sticky rice, and the waitress told me that the best way to eat it with the curry dish is with the fingers. They have an art how to use their fingers, too. Very , very unique.

I tried it, its nice. But the only thing i don't like about using fingers is that i dont like the food particles going under my fingernails (i like to keep my fingers and hands clean).

Anyways, some pictures of how people in Southeast Asia use their fingers to eat:

Thai people from Chiang Rai eating the traditional way

Cambodian family having a nice lunch

Filipinos eating traditional way

 

[Edison Chen]

Ed, you notice that some cultures in Southeast Asia eat with their fingers? The Thai, Lao, Khmer, Burmese, Malays, and also Filipinos. I noticed this when I went to a Thai Restaurant one time, i ordered sticky rice, and the waitress told me that the best way to eat it with the curry dish is with the fingers. They have an art how to use their fingers, too. Very , very unique.

I tried it, its nice. But the only thing i don't like about using fingers is that i dont like the food particles going under my fingernails (i like to keep my fingers and hands clean).

Anyways, some pictures of how people in Southeast Asia use their fingers to eat:

View attachment 164257
Thai people from Chiang Rai eating the traditional way

View attachment 164258
Cambodian family having a nice lunch

View attachment 164260
Filipinos eating traditional way

Interesting culture.

Yes, many south east asians use fingers to eat, though i've never been there, i heard some Thai friends saying they sometimes use chopsticks to eat noodles, but fingers, spoon or forks to eat other food. As you said the food particles is a problem, to wash hands second time after meal is another problem.

 

[katarabhumi]

Ed, you notice that some cultures in Southeast Asia eat with their fingers? The Thai, Lao, Khmer, Burmese, Malays, and also Filipinos. I noticed this when I went to a Thai Restaurant one time, i ordered sticky rice, and the waitress told me that the best way to eat it with the curry dish is with the fingers. They have an art how to use their fingers, too. Very , very unique.

I tried it, its nice. But the only thing i don't like about using fingers is that i dont like the food particles going under my fingernails (i like to keep my fingers and hands clean).

Anyways, some pictures of how people in Southeast Asia use their fingers to eat:

View attachment 164257
Thai people from Chiang Rai eating the traditional way

View attachment 164258
Cambodian family having a nice lunch

View attachment 164260
Filipinos eating traditional way

I eat sometimes with my hand because some of our culinary are best eat with hand. I like to keep my fingernails short all the time so I don't have a problem with food remain afterward. Just a simple wash and they all gone.

 

[Aepsilons]

I eat sometimes with my hand because some of our culinary are best eat with hand. I like to keep my fingernails short all the time so I don't have a problem with food remain afterward. Just a simple wash and they all gone.

I dated a Filipina girl before and she showed me how she eats with her fingers. In Philippines they call this style of eating as "Ka May An". It takes a while to get used to it tho. he he he..

 

[William Hung]

So chopsticks in China really got popular around 500 AD. How long did the chopstick craze take to get to Japan? Well, the oldest official records of chopsticks being used in Japan is from the Kojiki, written in 712AD, but they probably made it over there even sooner than that. Chinese culture made its way over to Japan through Korea earlier than that, and the chopsticks were sure to have been one of the things that made it over.

 

[Armstrong]

I eat sometimes with my hand because some of our culinary are best eat with hand. I like to keep my fingernails short all the time so I don't have a problem with food remain afterward. Just a simple wash and they all gone.

Most people eat in Pakistan with their hands too !

Some people eat the rice with their hands.

I dated a Filipina girl before and she showed me how she eats with her fingers. In Philippines they call this style of eating as "Ka May An". It takes a while to get used to it tho. he he he..

Is there some part of the world that your 'fantasy' girlfriends haven't belonged too ?

 

[Aepsilons]

Is there some part of the world that your 'fantasy' girlfriends haven't belonged too ?

She wasn't my gf, i just dated her

 

[Armstrong]

She wasn't my gf, i just dated her

Whats the difference ?

 

[Aepsilons]

Whats the difference ?

Gf = commitment ; Just dating = no commitment.