1. Take one stick first and hold it in your
right hand in the way you would normally hold a
pencil. If the stick has a thick and a thin end,
hold it so that the thick end is on top.
2. Keeping the fingers in this position, turn
your hand inward until the stick is horizontal
to the table and parallel to your body.
3. Relax your fingers slightly and slide the
stick to the left until your thumb and
forefinger are clamping the stick at about its
mid-point. The thumb should not be bent nor
rigidly straight. All your fingers should be
curved slightly inwards with the middle finger
in contact with the underside of the stick and
the nail of the middle finger protruding towards
your body. The third (ring) finger should be in
line with the middle finger but its nail should
protrude beyond the middle finger towards your
body.
4. Now, take the other stick with your left hand
and let the thick end rest on the protruding
part of the ring finger of your right hand.
Slide the stick towards the right, touching the
tip of the middle finger and passing under the
thumb until the thick end rests at the base
joint of your forefinger. This is the stationary
position of this stick, and it should be roughly
parallel to the first stick.
5. Alternately bend and extend your forefinger
and middle finger, letting the first stick PIVOT
at the thumb. The thin tip of the moving stick
will touch that of the stationary stick when you
bend the two fingers. Don't hold the sticks
rigidly. Hardly any pressure or strength is
needed to grasp things at the tip of the
chopsticks.
The chopstick is multipurpose; it serves the
Japanese as fork, knife and spoon. They eat soup
with it they cut food into small morsels with
it; and they use it to pick up food and carry it
from the plate to the mouth. You can do it, too.
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