I was not always good at using chopsticks. My occasional chopsticks wielding sushi experiences hadn’t prepared me for what I’d face in Taiwan. Not at all.
My first chopsticks challenge came a few weeks after I’d arrived in Taiwan. The large omelet sat harmlessly next to the pieces of battered coconut shrimp. An odd combination, yes, but pretty much the norm in the lower level food court of Taipei 101.
I stabbed the yellow mass with one stick, slowly raising it into the air. The sunny blob escaped my grasp, falling to the plate with a wobbly thud. My attempts with the coconut shrimp didn’t fare much better. I’m sure I made quite a picture that day…the strange white blonde trying to figure out how to eat eggs with chopsticks. But I learned quickly. Soon, I graduated to eating salad, and eventually to picking up one grain of rice between not only wooden, but also those slippery PLASTIC chopsticks that always tried to best me. I didn’t think much of my newfound skills but some of the locals seemed mightily impressed. As if most foreigners were incapable of such a feat. As if I could give Mr. Miyagi a run for his money.
“Wow, you are so good with chopsticks,” they’d say, and for a moment I’d feel like I was seven years old again and just received a yellow star from my teacher.
But this post isn’t about how great I am because I’m now a Chopsticks Master.
I wanted to share some of the funniest chopsticks pictures I’ve found on the web. Feel free to post links and I’ll try to add them to this collection.
photo © rfleming.net
photo © www.icanhascheezburger.com
photo © www.sodahead.com
© www.childsplate.com