I began to googled and thought of writing chopsticks related to Chinese food culture. To my surprise, most websites have already covered on this topic.

Interesting topics ranging from chopsticks history to different types of chopsticks from China, Vietnam, Korea and Japan. And from table etiquette in Chinese restaurant to videos showing how-to-use-chopsticks.

So, why not blog about what the types of food not possible to use by chopsticks?

Below are the 10 different types of foods commonly found in modern Eastern Asia, including Western food.

1. Soup of the day. From the Western’s recipient of tastiest pumpkin-mushroom soup, to the expensive Chinese delicacy of bird nest and shark fin’s soup. Always better to use a tablespoon, instead
2. Watermelon. Alright! You are so thirsty and craving for some fresh fruit in a hot-summer to quench your thirst. Using chopsticks will definitely get you more impatience to finish up a juicy slice. After all, its tastier with every refreshing bites.
3. Pizza. Beside slicing the pie with a roller-slice into quarters, what other table utensil can be used without using hand? It strange if pizza were to pick up by chopsticks.
4. A Big Mac or a Double Cheese Burger. Since when fast-food restaurant offer chopsticks for burgers? It would be tedious and painstaking to enjoy a meal like this.
5. Jelly, a soft sweet food made from fruit juice and gelatin. Unlike Chinese Tofu, jelly is more slippery and soft-bodied, which most youngster love to indulge in.
6. Grilled loin steak on a hot pan. Doesn’t matter if its half done, well done or boneless. It is still a big chuck of tender delicious piece of beef steak.
7. Half-boil eggs. No, I’m not referring to hard-boiled eggs. This kind of food is a traditional breakfast in Asia. Usually, served with toasted bread. Commonly seen in old coffee shops in central Laos and Malaysia. It looks soft and slimy. A few drops of soya sauce and a pinch of pepper will enhance the taste.
8. Ice-cream. It may take slightly more skill to pick up by chopsticks. However, it would not last long, if you are enjoying it under a hot weather. It melts!
9. Congee. As comparison with porridge, congee is much more watery and fairly viscous. Rice is boiled in many times its weight of water for a long time until the rice breaks down. In Chinese food culture, congee is eaten primarily as a breakfast food or late supper.
10. Mashed potato. Its a pasty food to Western food culture. I would recommend using a spoon is much appropriate than chopsticks.

Has any one use chopsticks for spaghetti? It does looks like the Chinese noodles though.

Colorful Sets Of Chinese Chopsticks From Hong Kong

Picture Source: jinn

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2. Chinese Landscape Paintings; Symbolism of Opposite
3. Chinese Calligraphy goes to Hanoi, Northern Vietnam

There are some basic rules; always get the basic stroke and directions correct. Generally, directions of basic strokes to make Chinese words are:-

• Left to right, top to bottom, sometime end with a vertical hook.
• Dash-dot in the directions from top to rightward or leftward.
• Descending strokes from top to diagonally left with a straight ending. And
• Trailing strokes from top to diagonally right with a slight curve ending.

Okay, straight to the point to learn how to write Chinese characters 1 to 10.

Learn to write Chinese Character 1 (One). The simplest of all. Consist of a horizontal strokes from left to right.

Chinese Character 1, One

Learn to write Chinese Character 2 (Two). A short and a longer strokes at the bottom. Both left to right direction.

Chinese Character, Two, 2

Learn to write Chinese Character 3 (Three). Quiet similar to Chinese character 2, but with a short middle strokes horizontally.

Chinese Character, Three, 3

Learn to write Chinese Character 4 (Four). Looks like a small square, and within consist of 2 dash-dots in opposite direction. Total five strokes to make a word.

Chinese Character, Four, 4

Learn to write Chinese Character 5 (Five). Try to maintain the horizontal strokes to be straight, and stroke with vertical direction to slightly lean towards right.

Chinese Character, Five, 5

Learn to write Chinese Character 6 (Six). Keep the dash strokes to be short.

Chinese Character, Six, 6

Learn to write Chinese Character 7 (Seven). There are only 2 strokes to make this word. Below is recognized as the simplified way of writing “seven”. To be precise, the horizontal stroke is written slanted slightly up, and the “L” strokes consist of a small hook at the lower ending.

Chinese Character, Seven, 7

Learn to write Chinese Character 8 (Eight). This is easy and the most auspicious character in Chinese culture. Quite similar to the 2 inner strokes in Chinese character four. This character word is more bold, bigger and widely spread out. Consist of 2 strokes writing in opposite directions; left stroke is shorter that the right.

Chinese Character, Eight, 8

Learn to write Chinese Character 9 (Nine). Only consist of 2 strokes. Second strokes has a right-angle bent and end with a hook in right direction.

Chinese Character, Nine, 9

Learn to write Chinese Character 10 (Ten). This is as good as the mathematical symbol “+” (plus). Definitely not the cross use in religious symbol.

Chinese Character, Ten, 10

Additional learning to describe hundredth, thousandth, and tenth thousand.

Learn to write Chinese Character 100th (Hundredth). This is a bad writings, especially stroke #2 and #3. It is still recognize as a Chinese character “100th”, but in an unrefined manner. It consist of 6 strokes, with 2 faults you should not follow. Strokes #2 should not budge out to the third strokes. And strokes #3 should have a nicer right turn, instead of the crooked corner.

Chinese Character, Hundredth, 100th

Learn to write Chinese Character 1000th (Thousandth). This is easy. Seems like just an additional strokes on top of the Chinese character “ten”. If you look closely, the order of writings this 3 strokes is not the same.

Chinese Character, Thousandth, 1000th

Learn to write Chinese Character 10,000th (Tenth Thousand). This is very unique for the Chinese to name tenth thousand in just a single character. Compare 13 English alphabets with only 3 simple Chinese writing strokes. Do you see the beauty in this word?

Chinese Character, Tenth Thousand, 10000th

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3. Chinese Culture: Food Not Possible To Use By Chopsticks

Below I have listed out the traditional hierarchy of Chinese art, starting from the most popular and prestigious in early times.

1. Landscape paintings and calligraphy writings. Using ink on paper
2. Figure paintings, including birds, flowers and insect paintings
3. Religious paintings of Tang Dynasty. Ink and colors on silk. Art for Buddhist temples
4. Hand-scroll paintings of Yuan Dynasty.
5. Jade craving and bronze vessels inlaid with gold and silver.
6. Decorative painting art, lacquer, porcelain earthenware and silk.
7. Silk embroidery
8. Ceramic ware

Ancient Chinese Landscape Painting, Handscroll; ink and pale color on silk

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Chinese landscapes painting is commonly seen consisting of mountains and water. Yet, with its simplicity and minimal use of subject, color and medium, it is able to create a harmonious and peaceful viewing. One of the aspects to achieve this balanced result, is by applying the black-and-white yin-yang symbol. Also know as representation of ‘symbolism of opposite’.

The symbolism of opposite clearly seen in the contrast of black ink on white paper in calligraphy and brush painting. The Chinese named this theorem as BaGua or “eight symbols” system reflecting the dualistic philosophy of ‘yin’ and ‘yang’, dated back in 10^th century BCE. This system has been adopted by the Chinese culture and believes, even till the modern days in China.

Some of the landscape painting gives a clear-cut, articulated, rugged strokes that conveyed a strong, server form and definite designs; leaving little rooms for your imagination. Colors are bold, such as, blue, green and gold for the landscape paintings. This precise techniques produced beautiful and detailed decorative artwork.

On the contrary, Chinese paintings can be painted in faded color, mainly using ink and water, with light coloring. Their strokes were softer, more graceful, and suggestive. Theses landscape paintings were more poetic and imaginative. Water washes on the existing brush strokes of ink will produced softer and subtle effect.

Yang is the positive, masculine principle, associated with heaven, light, boldness, hardness. Yin is the negative, feminine principle, associated with earth, darkness, weakness, and softness.

In painting, the artist’s tools are either yin or yang. The strokes on the paper go right and left; a strong and dark stroke is yang, while a soft and pale stroke is yin. Thus, creating a balance systems of

Lake is separated from water,as mountain is separated from earth, showing the special significant of mountains and lakes or rivers. These are the primary elements of Chinese landscape paintings, hence the Chinese character for landscapes, Shan Shui (山水). Literary means, mountain(山) and water(水).

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2. Learn to Write Chinese Characters, Numeric 1-to-10
3. Chinese Calligraphy and Western Painting Art