As a young boy I was introduced to Chinese cuisine. It began with Snow White Chicken. My pallet was still in the curious and yet skeptical stage of development, so my parents wisely selected the Snow White Chicken for my first experience with this new genre of food. My parents had struck a friendship with a Chinese woman named, Lillian, who owned this new Chinese restaurant in College Park, Georgia where we lived at the time. As the server brought our food to the table, I remember looking down at my plate that also held two wooden sticks. I must have looked at my dad with an inquisitive expression because he simply answered my thought with a grin, "those are chopsticks". "What are they for?", I asked. "You use them to eat. They are a Chinese fork", my dad told me with a chuckle. Dad was always setting me up for some kind of spotaneous humor opportunity. I grabbed the two small sticks with two hands and began trying to wedge some chicken and rice between them, but the food only fell back to my plate. I tried again, and again, to get something to my mouth, but failed repeatedly. After a few minutes my dad suggested that I just use my fork which I did because I was getting hungry smelling that delicious sauce steaming from my plate. The Snow White Chicken was amazing and it became my favorite dish whenever we went to The Great Wall for a special meal. Each time we returned, I would try to use those damn chopsticks without success. On one visit, the owner, Lillian, must have seen me struggling to use the chopsticks and asked, "Would you like me to show you how to eat with those?". Now, my dad had shown me how to use them with one hand by snapping them together, but looking back I think he was just winging it himself as he often did with a lot of stuff. My dad could pull off almost anything and make it look good. I mean he was brilliant on so many fronts, but he was also a master at making stuff up as he went along and succeeding at it. Anyway, Lillian patiently worked with me to teach me the proper way to use chopsticks. I was fascinated with the execution and I practiced with each visit to her restaurant. She even sent some with me to practice at home. It took a while, but I began to pick up food with ease even down to the last kernal of rice.
On a recent trip with some friends I found myself staring at a bowl of Asian cuisine. I dug into the delicious food with the provided chopsticks. With each bite I began to think of all the benefits of eating with them. Some thoughts flooded my mind about life and chopsticks. "What a great idea for a blog", I thought. So, here goes. Let me try to make some sense of this idea.
When you eat with chopsticks it slows the entire dining experience a bit, and I think that's a good idea especially in this hurried and rushed world we live in. I don't know about you, but I've reached the point in my life where I'd like the clock to slow a bit. Time is becoming more valuable to me with each passing day. And then there's the company that I'm dining with. (I know you English scholars want me to write, "with whom I'm dining", but that just sounds goofy and pompus to me, so I'm sorry about breaking the grammer rules.) Why would I want to rush through dinner unless I didn't enjoy being with the people at my table? Something about using those chopsticks makes me slow my thoughts and stay present with my dear friends. Then there's the practical dietary benefit of refraining from shoveling food into my mouth like I haven't eaten in a week. Our brain needs to catch up to our stomach to tell us that we've had enough. Chopsticks promote a slower pace of input, and there's less food going in with each bite which is a healthier process for eating. An added bonus is that you will savor the food and enjoy distinct tastes on your pallet. Then there's the self discipline aspect to actually teach yourself how to use chopsticks. Challenging ourselves to learn new skills and overcome difficult challenges is a healthy pursuit. I've always enjoyed pushing myself to learn to execute things that I don't see a lot of people doing. If everyone and anyone can do it then it must not be too difficult, and usually boring, is my thought process. Finally, to try and learn from other cultures and their way of life can help us have a better understanding and respect for people in general. It broadens our minds and scope of the world, and gives us a chance to see beauty in others who may look and live different from us.
How might this chopstick idea circle back to life? I think that we must find some kind of balance between production and leisure. There's a time to work hard, and there's a time to relax just as intentionally and passionately. Whenever I'm using chopsticks to eat, I'm reminded that it's okay to slow down, relax, to enjoy the food and the company. When I use a fork, I'm tempted to shovel in and swallow my food too quickly. I have to really think about slowing down, and I can look like a glutton very easily if I don't. Chopsticks require a bit more intentionality and finesse. We should embrace life the same way. We should take time with it and savor it. We should be intentional about it. The people, the food, the drinks, the music, the water, the warmth, the cold, the landscapes, the skies, the sunsets, the stars, the sunrises... the moments. I challenge you to pick up those chopsticks and give them a try. You may find out that it's a very healthy and rewarding move.