Chopsticks: the proper utensil with which to eat pancakes

[Bosh]

As all of your no doubt know, chopsticks are the proper utensil with which to eat pancakes. Using a knife and fork to eat pancakes is not only highly inefficient, but flies in the face of all tradition.

Perhaps the best pancakes is Korean jeon.

Here is haemul pajeon (seafood scallion pancakes)

http://www.koreankitchen.com/images/pajeon11final.jpg
After you tear off a chunk of pancake with your chopsticks it is proper to dip it in soysauce, as can be seen in this picture
http://onokinegrindz.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/ariranghouse6.jpg

Here you can see some tasty pancakes cooking
http://img28.photobucket.com/albums/v85/fatman_seoul/bindaetok/bin06.jpg

An important pancake ingredient. Yum!
http://www.travellerspoint.com/photos/13390/thumb_tourist0050.JPG
Pancakes do not have to contain seafood (they just taste better that way). They can also contain fermented cabbage (kimchi) such as these fine examples of kimchijeon
http://www.dackelina.de/img/1003kimchijon.jpg

You can also whip up some nice potato pancakes (gamjajeon) which taste like a cross between latkas and hashbrowns
http://www.guamdiner.com/reviews/images/0402-04.jpg

Here is some pancake batter and the chopsticks with which it the final product will be eaten

http://pics3.webs-tv.net/6/userfile/y/yolucy/blog/902c914a.jpg

And finally here is some pancake being eaten with chopsticks (with a tasty mussel side dish)
http://lostseouls.com/bloggangneung/pancake%20and%20mussels.jpg

So next time you go to breakfast, do not forget your trusty chopsticks!

[Bosh]

Oyesters are also a fine pancake ingredient
http://static.flickr.com/24/37260740_082531609b_o.jpg
In order to reduce pancakes to small bite-sized portions it is often advisable to use your trusty kitchen scissors.

[teratorn]

Yummy and strangely on topic. But please stop, it's lunch time here and now I will be disappointed with my meal.

[hanzo66]

Welcome to Azure City, bitch.

[Jevanyn]

That still doesn't explain why Vaarsuvius is eating a corn muffing with a spoon. Or is it a bowl of oatmeal?

[Lilly]

That's half a grapefruit.

I normally love pancakes... and am allergic to seafood... darn stupid (newly) ruined pancakes.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

lol, my sister who works at a theatre says that an asian family came in, bought popcorn and watched a movie. When she went to straighten up she found their leftover tubs with chopsticks in them.

Oddly enough you can just see that being appropriate. Keeps your fingers clean if nothing else.

[fwiffo]

... chopsticks are the proper utensil with which to eat [particular food]. Using a knife and fork to eat [particular food] is not only highly inefficient, but flies in the face of all tradition.

That does not compute. Chopsticks were invented by hungry people to convince their half-witted brethren that it is a usable utensil, while they themselves get more than their share of the food with forks and spoons.

Either that, or else by laundry workers unions eager to increase their business by making sure that most of the food ends up *on* the eater and not *in* the eater.

That's my theory and I am sticking with it.

[Eriol]

I'm with fwiffo. How could our favorite Spathi be wrong? And if he is, it's the "Ultimate Evil's" fault.


(a few of us HAVE played that game)

[Mad Scientist]

I was so happy after reading the comic I had buttermilk pancakes for breakfast. But alas I have no chopsticks. . .

[Goofy]

Thanks for making me hungry.

Chopsticks are very good for eating sponge cake as well as ice cream, too.

[chibibar]

Rich is not only making good comic but cultural education as well....... man I'm hungry.. I haven't had some of those food in a long long while.

[Underfoot]

That looks a lot like okonomiyaki to me, Bosh!

[fangthane]

Two things...
1. Chopsticks are far from an ideal tool when compared to more specialised utensils such as forks, knives and (marginally) spoons. Sufficient skill overcomes the utensil's inferiority, but it's inferior all the same.
2. Chopsticks are cheap and easy to acquire/make, whereas specialised utensils are not. When resources for better tools are scarce, you make do.

These are the reasons why some cultures developed more specialised - and expensive - eating utensils, and why some opted for inexpensive expediency.

[chibibar]

Chopsticks are just two pieces of wood. Remember that generally Chinese people are poor (in China and Taiwan) and thus eat with what they can. Metal utensils are rare. Most family might have a cheap ceramic spoon (that they made) than metal utensils.

With proper training and practice, you can eat a lot of things with chopstick (I grew up with it being Asian) and it is not that hard :) of course our table manner differ than the west.

[InuSaga]

Chopsticks are very good for eating sponge cake as well as ice cream, too.


Ice cream?:smallconfused:

[chibibar]

Ice cream?:smallconfused:


oh yea :) I use it to eat soup too. Basically you use the chopstick to eat the chunks and put the bowl to mouth to drink soup (I still do that in Chinese restaurant but I don't do that when in non-Asian places. I use a spoon)

[Haruki-kun]

DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF THE CHOPSTICK!!!!!!!!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously though.......I'm getting hungry.......... luckily I'm in a cafeteria right now............ but hey have no chopsticks

or pancakes -.-

[elliott20]

this is what I call, "food porn".

*salivates*

[SupraGuy]

Well, if we're taking Japanese customs into account...

Knives are simply not used as tableware. It just isn't done.

Other than that, I find that it much easier to eat with chopsticks, which I treat as an extension of my own fingers, but without them getting burned/scalded/frozen/sticky. Doesn't work so well with, say macaroni, but it does work just fine with everything else.

[Bosh]

Chopsticks are just two pieces of wood. Remember that generally Chinese people are poor (in China and Taiwan) and thus eat with what they can. Metal utensils are rare. Most family might have a cheap ceramic spoon (that they made) than metal utensils.

With proper training and practice, you can eat a lot of things with chopstick (I grew up with it being Asian) and it is not that hard :) of course our table manner differ than the west.
Actually proper chopsticks are two pieces of stainless steel like so
http://www.guild.com/item_images/A/1101-1200/full/A1141-002f.jpg

And chopsticks are vastly superior to forks when eating food that you don't really want to poke holes in or want to get a firm grip on.

[Gatekreeper]

You all are wrong. It is in fact the indomitable, all-knowing SPORK that is the ultimate eating utensil.

Feel free to bask in my everlasting glory and wisdom, for I have spoken.

[Pentegarn]

You all are wrong. It is in fact the indomitable, all-knowing SPORK that is the ultimate eating utensil.

Feel free to bask in my everlasting glory and wisdom, for I have spoken.

You honestly can't argue with that logic. Nothing beats the spork.

[Pentegarn]

Well, if we're taking Japanese customs into account...

Knives are simply not used as tableware. It just isn't done.

Other than that, I find that it much easier to eat with chopsticks, which I treat as an extension of my own fingers, but without them getting burned/scalded/frozen/sticky. Doesn't work so well with, say macaroni, but it does work just fine with everything else.

Even soup??? :smalltongue:

[Shiver]

The spork is both a poor excuse for a fork, and a lousy attempt at a spoon. It manages to fail at being both.

Of course, seeing as how I eat everything with a switchblade, I suppose I'm the wrong person to talk about eating utensils...

[Mr Teufel]

yummmm, haemul pajeon.
I first tried this when I was given it for Xmas by the little old Korean lady who lives in the same building. I loved it so much I went looking for a Korean restaurant - not hard where I live in inner West Sydney, Australia. I became a regular there for some time. Yes, I used chopsticks.

I think one of the reasons chopsticks were common in Asia is the same reason that unarmed martial arts and farm-implement weapons were. The authorities banned anything that they thought could be a weapon, so the common people got inventive.

[Jack Squat]

I'll have to disagree with chopsticks being the best utensil to eat pancakes with. Many pancakes (especially those served in the US) are based of recipes from the UK, my favorite would be from Ireland; Scotch Pancakes (http://www.irelandseye.com/aarticles/culture/recipes/cooking/pancakes.shtm). Not saying not to use it on pancakes, but I find it strange to use the wrong utensil for the wrong food; chopsticks for asian, silverware for more western foods.

[Steward]

Using utensils is highly inefficient. A true culinary master knows how to shovel any dish into directly into his or her mouth. While you're wasting time poking yourself in the eye with a spork or fumbling with chopsticks, I will be screaming in pain after shovelling hot soup onto my lap.

[fangthane]

Actually proper chopsticks are two pieces of stainless steel like so
http://www.guild.com/item_images/A/1101-1200/full/A1141-002f.jpg

And chopsticks are vastly superior to forks when eating food that you don't really want to poke holes in or want to get a firm grip on.
Hmm. So chopsticks are stainless steel, are they? I wonder how the ancient cultures of the orient got by until steel was developed, hey?

Sorry, but no. Chopsticks have evolved to plastic and steel but that was never the original intent. They were originally made from bamboo, wood, bone and horn. Later, they were made of metal.

[TinSoldier]

The spork is both a poor excuse for a fork, and a lousy attempt at a spoon. It manages to fail at being both.

Of course, seeing as how I eat everything with a switchblade, I suppose I'm the wrong person to talk about eating utensils...Yes. The spork is the bard of eating utensils :smallbiggrin: !

Anyway, I've never had Korean pancakes nor have I eaten them with chopsticks. Although I am proficient with chopsticks. And I like pancakes.

[fwiffo]

Spork is the best common utensil, true. But, technology that advanced would be out of place in OOTS. I mean, that is 19th century development (and Splade (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splade) is even later). But, forks are not out of place in OOTS setting.

And, I say we should be grateful for chopsticks. If it wasn't for that, we might very well be speaking Chinese now. By the time you are done eating your dinner with chopsticks, you just don't have time left to invade other countries.

[Mr_Saturn]

You're ALL WRONG!!

Obviously the best common utensil is the hand. It can pick up stuff, scoop liquids and is useful for purposes beyond eating.

Then, its the Knife. Try cutting meat and stuff with a spork, chopstick, spoon or fork.

You can kill people with a knife too. :smallamused:

[Ganjuu-kun]

This sort of reminds me of the takoyaki dish in japan, where octopus is deepfried in dough balls. Anyway, I think pancakes should be eaten with chopsticks.

[Erk]

I've never understood why people have so much trouble with chopsticks. I'm not asian, but I never had any troubles with them. I have more difficulty using a fork gracefully, I find it a messy and clumsy instrument. I use chopsticks for everything, and with one hand can accomplish what many people require a fork and knife in two hands to do.

Most fun food to eat with chopsticks: jello.

[Bosh]

Then, its the Knife. Try cutting meat and stuff with a spork, chopstick, spoon or fork.
That's why you cut the meat up with scissors before you eat it.

[Shiver]

You're ALL WRONG!!

Obviously the best common utensil is the hand. It can pick up stuff, scoop liquids and is useful for purposes beyond eating.

Then, its the Knife. Try cutting meat and stuff with a spork, chopstick, spoon or fork.

You can kill people with a knife too. :smallamused:

Which is why I eat everything with my switchblade. If someone messes with me and my Hot Pocket...well, let's just say it hasn't happened after the first time. :D

[Argus]

lol, my sister who works at a theatre says that an asian family came in, bought popcorn and watched a movie. When she went to straighten up she found their leftover tubs with chopsticks in them.

Oddly enough you can just see that being appropriate. Keeps your fingers clean if nothing else.

A friend of mine came up with the idea of using chopsticks as a diet: He only ate food that he could eat with chopsticks.

By the time he gave up on that, he had enough patience to eat popcorn that way and enough skill to eat Jell-O that way.

[vbushido]

Most fun food to eat with chopsticks: jello.

I can do that ... in a hemispherical bowl... while it's cut into cubes ... without making a gelatin mess. A former boyfriend was astounded that it was possible. I learned to use them by the age of 3 in Korea, so I had a cultural leg up. And they are far less unwieldy to me than forks.

-----
'Point and click' means you're out of ammo

[AtomicKitKat]

Chopsticks...I think some are made of ivory. Most common type we used to have here in Singapore was white plastic with dragons on half of them, and phoenixes on the other. You're supposed to have one of each when you grab a pair(of course, if you grabbed 2 dragons, you'd get more Yang, more Yin with 2 Phoenixes, etc.) for a balanced meal.

Speaking of "proper" useage, my parents(and most of my family) grip the bottom one between the ring and middle finger, while I use a more "pencil" grip, holding between thumb, index and middle fingers. I can use it the more traditional way, but I find it harder. Still didn't stop me from being the champion marble transferrer(move all the marbles from water-filled glass A to empty glass B) back in my Uncle's school. :P Oh yes, and I can use them almost as well in my left hand as I can in my right.

PS. Chopstick through eyeball and thence brain > Knife to the spleen.

[Shiver]

PS. Chopstick through eyeball and thence brain > Knife to the spleen.

Of course, since, you know, eyeballs are completely impervious to knives.

And, so this post remains on topic and does start a degeneration of the thread into a discussion on the best utensil to kill someone with, I'll just say while I've tried to use chopsticks before, I could never get the hang of it. And now, since my hands have become so bad that I can barely hold a pencil (which, as you can guess, sucks when your an artist), I don't suppose I'll ever be able to do it properly...and for some reason, this makes me very sad.

[Tharj TreeSmiter]

It could cerainly be done, it would be wierd but it's possible. Oh and in the prevoius frame V and durkon (I think) are using chopsticks for eggs and bacon!. :)

[fall_ark]

The oldest chopsticks unearthed, which is said to be made before BC 11th century, was bronze. And then we have the history record of a pair of ivory ones used by an emperor(in BC 11th century).
The invention must have been earlier since wood/bamboo ones wouldn't weather the long time..... Common belief is that ancient people invent chopsticks to eat really hot food. Asian people loved to eat soup and stew, and use chopsticks to pick stuff out to let them become lukewarm faster.

By the way, pancakes fit chopsticks well :-)

[Erk]

Tharj, how is eating pancakes with chopsticks weird at all? Maybe eating hotcakes made from batter with maple syrup on top would be weird (not really, but it would be culturally unusual), but there are many other types of pancake.

I gotta admit, syrup covered pancakes would be better with a fork. I don't want sticky syrup running down my chopsticks.

[Mr Teufel]

Actually proper chopsticks are two pieces of stainless steel like so
http://www.guild.com/item_images/A/1101-1200/full/A1141-002f.jpg

And chopsticks are vastly superior to forks when eating food that you don't really want to poke holes in or want to get a firm grip on.

You know what these are? Masterwork Chopsticks!

[Erk]

Nah, masterwork chopsticks have a +1 to grip. Metal chopsticks are harder to grip with: they are just a special material. It does give them a higher hardness rating, which allows them to overcome the damage resistance of tougher meats. It must be a house rule or something.

[Yakk]

Hmm. So chopsticks are stainless steel, are they? I wonder how the ancient cultures of the orient got by until steel was developed, hey?

Sorry, but no. Chopsticks have evolved to plastic and steel but that was never the original intent. They were originally made from bamboo, wood, bone and horn. Later, they were made of metal.

By the same arguement, Knives are not made of metal. Knives are made of flint, bone, obsidian or wood.

The chopstick is a superior eating utensil if your food is prepared with the chopstick in mind. If your food is prepared with a fork and knife in mind, it is inferior.