This is a day late and, unusually for me, short and sweet. My favorite utensil, either by type and specifically…
My pair of stainless steel chopsticks. Purchased at a shop in Trenton, Ontario, they are stylish, simple, sturdy, and easily cleaned and popped into my purse when I go out to eat sushi or Chinese food.
Les Chopsticks....
I was just looking at the word “Utensil”… what an odd word! Ever look at a word and think… “Is that right? It just looks wrong!”?
AND… every time I typed it, I spelled it “untensil”. How very odd!
- Main Entry:
- uten·sil
- Pronunciation:
- \yu̇-ˈten(t)-səl, ˈyü-ˌ\
- Function:
- noun
- Etymology:
- Middle English, vessels for domestic use, from Middle French utensile, from Latin utensilia, from neuter plural of utensilis useful, from uti to use
- Date:
- 14th century
1 : an implement, instrument, or vessel used in a household and especially a kitchen
2 : a useful tool or implement
So… an untensil would perhaps be an unuseful tool?
zeusiswatching said,
August 2, 2009 at 7:45 am
They seem simple, elegant, even glamorous.
I love eating with chopsticks. My parents would take us to a Chinese restaurant almost every weekend for years (my parents were friends of the owners) and we three American kids learned to eat with chopsticks very early on. A few decades on, and it seems more common to see Americans using chopsticks. I view it as progress.
The ornamental, but functional Chinese chopsticks are just a regular part of our dishes to be cleaned around our house. The Japanese kind find their way into our house from innumerable trips to the Sushi bar.
mudhooks said,
August 2, 2009 at 8:15 am
There are p[laces in town where you just get a fork set out in front of you. Typically, these serve the standard Chicken Balls and Chop Suey. Any of the restaurants I choose to go to serve authentic dishes.
Luckily, there are a rising number of Sushi, Vietnamese, Korean, and Thai places in town, though some of the really good Chinese places have been pushed out by them. We also have a lot of “all you can eat” buffet places. Some of them are better than others and I only like the once where you can get a lot of traditional dishes instead of the standard “Canadian chinese” stuff.
Mom, unfortunately just can;t get the hang of chop stick, though she tries valiantly.
azahar said,
July 28, 2009 at 10:30 pm
I love eating with chopsticks. Very nice, Anneke-san.
mudhooks said,
July 28, 2009 at 11:21 pm
I was going to include a chopstick rest but all the ones I have are sort of traditional-looking ones. I have to get a more “industrial” looking one for these.
I have been looking for a pair of “training” chopsticks for my mother. She just can’t maneuver them. Training ones either have a plastic or rubbery doohickey attached at the apex of the chopsticks or are actually attached. Either way, I have yet to find any.
magiceye said,
July 27, 2009 at 2:45 pm
always thought chopsticks were made of bamboo only!
cheers
mudhooks said,
July 27, 2009 at 7:51 pm
No. They come in all sorts of materials. Plastic, wood, bamboo, lacquered wood or bamboo, even ivory (antique, of course!), gold, silver, and jade….
jams O'Donnell said,
July 27, 2009 at 1:24 pm
Very convenient! I’ve lost the knack of chopsticks sadly
Marites said,
July 27, 2009 at 12:29 pm
using chopsticks takes some practise:) I should do well being exposed earlier to Chinese food eating but I always seem to prefer fork and spoon than those. my Ph is up too.
Rambling Woods said,
July 27, 2009 at 10:50 am
Interesting information…stainless steel you say? That would be the best way of getting and keeping them clean. It made me think of my 4 year old daughter and her using chopsticks at our favorite Chinese place. I could never get it right, but she had no problems….Michelle