( CULTURAL BRIEFING N^O 11 )

Chopsticks

A quest for the quintessential East Asian cooking and eating utensil

_EN

            One of my favourite pastimes is browsing for good quality chopsticks at reasonable prices. These utensils might be a Chinese invention, but they have fully assimilated into East Asian culinary culture over millennia.

            The mainstay in our marital home are these hollow Chinese and Korean hybrid-style squircle stainless steel chopsticks that I got from the gigantic Ikea at 漕溪路 in Shanghai, for a farewell hotpot dinner with my then soon-to-be ex-colleagues. They are slightly shorter, and considerably lighter than the melamine with metal-inlay ones that are typical in restaurants. It’s been nearly a decade since, and they have yet to rust.

            Looking back, I might have developed this quirky habit from observing my mum over the years. It is customary to get new chopsticks and kitchenware for Chinese New Year — a popular folk tradition known as 添碗筷. She used to get a new set whenever the festival rolled around, but stopped this wasteful practice once the household had enough.

            I still vividly recall her choosing flat flower-tipped stainless steel chopsticks from a roadside vendor near Ewha Womans University on our last family trip, when dad was still around. They’ve become her preferred type, and I get a few new pairs from South Korea’s traditional neighbourhood markets whenever I’m in the country.

            Then there are these extra long chopsticks, called saibashi or 菜箸 by the Japanese, that those in the region will know. Western cooks might be surprised, but they are great for flipping chicken karaage and nuggets in the air fryer without damaging the breading, and cooking meatball spaghetti.

            Ours is a pair from Thailand that is made of teak wood, purchased from the Takashimaya department store at Singapore’s Ngee Ann City in the early days of our marriage, and were looking to furnish the kitchen. Much to our disappointment, later batches became thinner and slightly shorter when we were shopping for another.

            Saibashi are commonly made of bamboo, and can easily be found at most Daiso outlets around the world. These tend to turn mouldy fast, and there don’t really last.

            The best ones, in my experience, are found in Japan. Hinoki, or Japanese cypress, is a beautiful but soft wood. We bought a well-crafted pair made of cherry wood instead, but had to gift them to my mum when her bamboo ones had to be discarded.

            Should have gotten another pair, seeing that we still don’t have a spare. Our search continues.

Notes from Ben:
This Cultural Briefing is a continuous observation since the early 1990s, and written in Aug 2026. Slight revisions were made in Sep 2026.

( CULTURAL BRIEFINGS )

Executive briefings on cultural matters

( SENSING PLACES )

Sensing cities as cultural barometers

不勞工作室
位于新加坡、意向東亞

We are a cultural intelligence practice
Cultivating brands with clarity