Chopsticks : a cultural and culinary history

2015·7.3 MB·English

by  Wang, Q. Edward, 1958- author

Chopsticks
ChopstickshavebecomeaquintessentialpartoftheChinese,Japanese,
KoreanandVietnameseculinaryexperienceacrosstheglobe,withmore
thanonefifthoftheworld’spopulationusingthemdailytoeat.Inthis
vibrant,highlyoriginalaccountofthehistoryofchopsticks,Q.Edward
Wangchartstheirevolutionfromasimpleeatingimplementinancient
times to their status as a much more complex, cultural symbol today.
Opening in the Neolithic Age, at the first recorded use of chopsticks,
the book surveys their use through Chinese history, before exploring
their transmission in the fifth century to other parts of Asia, including
Japan,Korea,VietnamandMongolia.Callinguponastrikingselection
ofartwork,theauthorillustrateshowchopstickusehasinfluencedAsian
cuisine, and how, in turn, the cuisine continues to influence chopstick
use,bothinAsiaandacrosstheglobe.
Q. Edward Wang is Professor of History and Co-ordinator of Asian
Studies at Rowan University and Changjiang Professor of History at
PekingUniversity,China.

Chopsticks
A CULTURAL AND
CULINARY HISTORY
Q. EDWARD WANG
UniversityPrintingHouse,Cambridgecb28bs,UnitedKingdom
CambridgeUniversityPressispartoftheUniversityofCambridge.
ItfurtherstheUniversity’smissionbydisseminatingknowledgeinthepursuitof
education,learningandresearchatthehighestinternationallevelsofexcellence.
www.cambridge.org
Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9781107023963
©Q.EdwardWang2015
Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception
andtotheprovisionsofrelevantcollectivelicensingagreements,
noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithoutthewritten
permissionofCambridgeUniversityPress.
Firstpublished2015
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmericabySheridanBooks,Inc.
AcatalogrecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationdata
Wang,Q.Edward,1958–
Chopsticks:aculturalandculinaryhistory/Q.EdwardWang.
pages cm
isbn978-1-107-02396-3(hardback)
1. Chopsticks. I. Title.
gt2949.w36 2014
394.102–dc23
2014021293
isbn978-1-107-02396-3Hardback
CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceoraccuracyof
urlsforexternalorthird-partyinternetwebsitesreferredtointhispublication,
anddoesnotguaranteethatanycontentonsuchwebsitesis,orwillremain,
accurateorappropriate.
Tomymotherwhotaughtmetousechopsticks
inChinaandformysonwhoisusingtheminthe
US,asthetraditionlivesonfrompasttopresent,
Chinaandbeyond.

Contents
Acknowledgments pageix
Listofplates xiii
Timeline xvii
MapofEastAsia xix
1 Introduction 1
2 Whychopsticks?Theiroriginandoriginalfunction 16
3 Dish,riceornoodle?Thechanginguseofchopsticks 41
4 Formingachopsticksculturalsphere:Vietnam,Japan,Korea
andbeyond 67
5 Usingchopsticks:customs,mannersandetiquette 93
6 Apairinseparable:chopsticksasgift,metaphorandsymbol 120
7 “Bridging”foodculturesintheworld 144
Conclusion 166
Glossary 171
Bibliography 176
Index 185
vii