Hashi?

[Mr. Just-A-Guy]

I´m curious to know the origins of the "sticks", in Japanese, "Hashi".

http://images.google.com.br/images?q=tbn:TaJLDPHl6YIJ:www.niten.org.br/TAI/IMAGES/hashi.jpg

http://store.yahoo.co.jp/lib/ume1/hashi-img1.jpg

They are originally from where? China? If so what is the name?

[Fantt]

Wikipedia Knows All (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chopsticks)

That should answer most of your questions. :-)

[Mr. Just-A-Guy]

Thank you, very good information on that 'encyclopedia'.

[Hiroshi66]

Yes, to offer more personalized information - Chopsticks, or "Hashi" originated from the Chinese Empire and arrived into Japan from there yet mostly from the Korean Kingdom. However, be careful that you do not use the word "hashi" in Japan in Tokyo, as in the Kanto Dialect, "hashi" can also mean bridge.

[Mike Cash]

Should we also not say "ame" for rain since it can also mean candy?

[PaulTB]

Should we also not say "ame" for rain since it can also mean candy?

It's sure going _ be tough not using the word _ because it means one more than one, as well as indicating excession and also.

[Mr. Just-A-Guy]

However, be careful that you do not use the word "hashi" in Japan in Tokyo, as in the Kanto Dialect, "hashi" can also mean bridge.

Do you know how should I call it using a better word?

[Fantt]

I'm not sure that Hiroshi66 is sure that you shouldn't use the word Hashi. He may not be aware that lots of words in Japanese share identical pronunciations. Just like in English... red read, bred bread, etc etc. I think that's what Mike and Paul were trying to say.

[Hiroshi66]

Perhaps you all can be a little more less harsh and sarcastic in all your posts and rather point out things in a nicer manner.

I'm not an idiot - I just used the wrong words. I meant that be careful where you're using it and make sure you're clear. You CAN use hashi in Tokyo or whatever, but just be careful that if you're in a sushi restaurant and asking for an extra set of hashi, the waiter/ss might look at you like you're crazy. Or, if you're asking where the nearest hashi is, the guide may go and direct you to where to get an extra set of chopsticks.

Geez...

[Mike Cash]

They have different intonations, but don't ask me what they are since intonation patterns are one aspect of Japanese that I never bothered to study. In context (such as at a restaurant) nobody will misunderstand which you meant, even if you screw up the intonation. The "hashi" for chopsticks is very often (almost always, in fact) preceded by "o" (making it "ohashi") in actual usage, further reducing the chance of being misunderstood to practically zero.

I wasn't so much trying to be harsh and sarcastic as I was trying to obliquely point out that homonyms abound and the potential for misunderstanding doesn't preclude their usage.

To further muddy the tranquil waters of JREF, the example of "ame" I pointed is also differentiated by a difference in the intonation....but the intonation patterns are reversed from Kanto to Kansai. Again, don't ask me for specifics since it still remains a mystery to me, and probably always will. People here in Kanto where I live sometimes ask me if I learned Japanese in some other part of Japan since I sometimes inadvertently screw up the intonation patterns. What they mistake for a habit picked up from another regional dialect is actually just the product of my ongoing and undying ignorance.

[Mr. Just-A-Guy]

I asked because, in many languages, not just japanese, there are more than one word to specify one thing. So, due to my lack of knowledge, I thought that maybe there would be another word to Chopsticks.
I´m sorry, looks like I started a trouble here.

[Mike Cash]

No trouble at all, don't worry about that.

You will hear the disposable chopsticks referred to by the term "waribashi" (割り箸).

[Apollo]

The wikipedia link was interesting.
I especially didn't know that the shape of the chopsticks were different from country to country, e.g. they can be blunt, made of metal etc. depending on country.
Has anyone tried eating with the ones of metal? I have never tried eating with metal ones.
I would think that they are a hassle to handle, because metal can be slippery, and more heavy (compared to the wooden ones) no?


This piece of information was interesting: http://www.asianartmall.com/chopstickshistory.htm

Chinese chopsticks are called Kuai-Zi, which means “quick little fellows”. They are typically 9 to 10 inches long, rectangular in shape, with blunt ends. Japanese chopsticks originally resembled tweezers made from bamboo, with the two pieces joined together at one end. By the 10th century they became two separate pieces. They are slightly shorter than their Chinese counterparts (7 to 8 inches long), are typically rounded and taper to a point.

[noodle]

that's cool!! i never thought about that but there really are different chopstick shapes.

[Fantt]

There's a "Chinese" restaurant chain here in town called "P.F. Changs." It serves asian themed food designed for the American palette. Amusingly, they set each setting with a pair of *plastic* chopsticks which are pretty much impossible to eat with. To add insult to injury the white rice they serve is typical American style white rice which does not clump together.

The food is actually pretty good as long as you aren't pretending it's Chinese, but I ask for wooden chopsticks each time. It also amuses me that they refer to the exotic soy sauce as "liquid salt."

[bossel]

I especially didn't know that the shape of the chopsticks were different from country to country, e.g. they can be blunt, made of metal etc. depending on country.
My girlfriend from Canton told me the chopsticks in China are not "standardised" as described in the article. They come in all shapes & sizes. I noticed when eating with Chinese friends here in Germany that they have round pointy thingies as well as longer chopsticks rounded at one end & with square shape where you hold them. The pointy sticks seem always to be made from wood, while the others can be plastic or wood, the length differs. Never saw metal ones, though.



Amusingly, they set each setting with a pair of *plastic* chopsticks which are pretty much impossible to eat with. To add insult to injury the white rice they serve is typical American style white rice which does not clump together.
I think, the problems with the plastic chopsticks may be closer related to the use of US style rice than to the material they are made of. I can't say that I have more problems with plastic ones than with wooden chopsticks.

[Fantt]

Yeah, bossel, that could be it, now that I think about how their rice is. But it's hard to pick up pieces of chicken with them as well...

[Apollo]

According to the article, the metal ones are supposed to be used in Korea. I haven't seen them myself except in a posh boutique in London made by a famous brand which sold all sorts of kitchen ware...and the metal chopsticks were heavier than the wooden ones and didn't look easy to handle.

Is there anyone who can enlighten us regarding the metal ones? Have you used them? Are they easy to handle? Maybe Koreans?

[Mike Cash]

There's a "Chinese" restaurant chain here in town called "P.F. Changs." It serves asian themed food designed for the American palette. Amusingly, they set each setting with a pair of *plastic* chopsticks which are pretty much impossible to eat with. To add insult to injury the white rice they serve is typical American style white rice which does not clump together.

The food is actually pretty good as long as you aren't pretending it's Chinese, but I ask for wooden chopsticks each time. It also amuses me that they refer to the exotic soy sauce as "liquid salt."

Perhaps you might enjoy reading "Salt, A World History" http://tinyurl.com/5regu

[Fantt]

Nothing really spells excitement like S-A-L-T. Woo, boy, I'm practically salivating over the title alone! :P

:D

[Mike Cash]

I should have recommended something with purty pikchers and the dialogue in speech balloons, I see.

[cicatriz esp]

According to the article, the metal ones are supposed to be used in Korea. I haven't seen them myself except in a posh boutique in London made by a famous brand which sold all sorts of kitchen ware...and the metal chopsticks were heavier than the wooden ones and didn't look easy to handle.

Is there anyone who can enlighten us regarding the metal ones? Have you used them? Are they easy to handle? Maybe Koreans?

I have a pair of those, and they were indeed a gift from a Korean girl. It's harder for me to grasp small bits with them, but i like their weight ... they feel substantial to me. Plus they have a cool engraved design and will last forever.

PS the coolest homonym to me is the hospital/hair salon one. The intonation is different (large vs small "YO"), but they still sound the same to me.

[Fantt]

I should have recommended something with purty pikchers and the dialogue in speech balloons, I see.

Or something with a bit less.... salt.
:D

[Hiroshi66]

Yes - I have heard that while the wooden ones are mostly used in China, Taiwan, and Japan - the metal ones are more common in South Korea. But metal would be very hard to eat with, especially when you are picking things up.

[Eternal Wind]

In my country which has four different races(chinese,mala,indian,eurasian),almost all knows how to use chopsticks nowadays.Although till now only most of the chinese knows how to use chopsticks more than other race. :cool:

[Hiroshi66]

Of course. Didn't Malays use it too though? Or what was their traditional instrument fo eating?

[Eternal Wind]

No....Malays don't use chopsticks in the first place...

They use their right hand to eat.

[Suki-Yaki]

I think this is an islamic tradition in Malaysia ?? because Arabs use that too.

However I`ve been raised on a spoon and a fork . Now in japan I have my very own metal chopsticks !! I`m soo happy ^^!!!

[Eternal Wind]

Yup,somesort of a Tradition :cool:
Nowadays they use spoon and fork~

Chopsticks are a must for japanese! :cool:

[Hiroshi66]

But in Singapore Chinese make a majority so its pretty much basic that chopsticks are more commonly used - but then again its pretty much spoon and fork anywhere now.

[Eternal Wind]

Haha~yup,S'porean basically use and learn any eating tools available :D

[-Yu-]

You CAN use hashi in Tokyo or whatever, but just be careful that if you're in a sushi restaurant and asking for an extra set of hashi, the waiter/ss might look at you like you're crazy. Or, if you're asking where the nearest hashi is, the guide may go and direct you to where to get an extra set of chopsticks.

Geez...
What the hell? It sounds like I'm an idiot, I say Hashi, whether refering to chopstics or a bridge, I never got into any trouble because of it thogh.
I think it doesn't really matter whether you use hashi refering to chopstics or a bridge, because who would think you are talking about a bridge when you are eating, they would know about what you want to say according to the situation.
Probably, you should say O hashi, when you want to get a set of new chopsticks in a restaurant, I think it sounds more clear.

[Hiroshi66]

It sounds like I'm an idiot

Are you implying that I implied that you were an idiot? I don't think I see it up in that post.. I'll go re-read it to make sure I didn't say something about you.

Yes, adding the o- honorific would solve the problem. The topic creator didn't ask about o-, so I presumed he already knew.

[werewolf]

Metal chopsticks are Korean. They feel very awkward at first because they are metal and short and very thin, but you can quickly get used to them. I like them now.

[RockLee]

Metal chopsticks are Korean. They feel very awkward at first because they are metal and short and very thin, but you can quickly get used to them. I like them now.
hehe, I just wanted to post that ^^ Indeedy they are korean :-)

[Hiroshi66]

In some Korean shows I watch, I can hear the sound of the metal as they eat rice - its actually refershing. But I prefer the original. :)

[werewolf]

What do you guys think of Japanese plastic chopsticks? They can be pretty slippery, huh? Do you get used to them?

[Apollo]

I prefer good-quality wooden ones, but I don't have anything against plastic ones. I just prefer wooden ones. :-)

My chopsticks are made of a type of wood, and they are coloured....:-)

Aren't the plastic ones too light to handle do you think? And metal too heavy to handle? Hence, wooden ones are just right... :wave:

[bossel]

Aren't the plastic ones too light to handle do you think?
I have never noticed a marked difference in weight. To me it's all the same.

Recently I've seen another variety of wooden chopsticks. They're really just thin round sticks, like shashlik sticks but without a point. They look rather impractical.
My girlfriend told me they are included when you buy some noodle packages.

[Hiroshi66]

Yes, those are included in ramen packages.

Plastic ones would seem cheap to me - I think the traditional Japanese and Chinese way of the wooden one is best. The Koreans made new ones gradually, but it must be harder to use and grasp.