I was completely unaware of that. Can you enlighten me on the cultural differences you refer to?

I had no idea. Thank you for telling us. A picture of the different types and a brief history in an answer would have been nice too. lol :)

I had no clue! Excuse me... I'm off to wikipedia chopsticks!

No .Wasn't aware of such a thing at all. Thanks for informing us .

Had no idea, but I remember seeing different shapes of the years. I guess I just thought they were being fancy. Thanks for the info!

I had no idea, thanks. I have used them at Chinese and Japanese restaurants.

Chopstick pictures from Wikipedia

I do now. Thanks:) I refuse to eat Tai or Chinese foods without chopsticks.

I knew, but I could never keep them straight in my head. Then again, the same applies to forks and spoons whenever I see more than one of each at my place setting.

Japanese chopsticks are much more narrower and come to a sharper point at the end,and are more likely to be made out of plastic.This way the difficult food to pick up can be speared. The other two countries have the wider ones and are made out of wood.I prefer the Japanese style.

Man I'm posting in all the wrong places!

koreans have metal chopsticks

No, I was not aware of that interesting tidbit of info.

Oops. EDIT - COMMENT

No idea! I know that my wife likes the straight flat tipped ones, I like the pointy ones. I didn't know it was a cultural thing. So we keep about a dozen sets of both types. And we also have a few sets of stands.

I just thought they all were a bunch of micro-dowels that made eating impractical. I had no idea.

Good question, I have seen chopsticks that were rectangle with slits in them instead of round but I never associated them with different countries...I use the practice ones below! ;)

Yes also for Vietnam: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chopsticks#Styles_of_chopstick_used_in_different_cultures I fould also this interesting page, for people who would like to eat with chopsticks, but can't: "Helpful Tools for the "Chopsticks-impaired"" http://www.ichizen.com/chopsticks/plasticks.htm

I like the Japanese ones personally.

Nope. I had no idea. Thanks for enlightening me! ; - D

I knew that and have enjoyed the differences for different foods though I don't like eating with metal ones very much. And I do think it makes eating Asian foods tastier. It's just not the same eating these dishes with a fork or metal spoon. Doesn't the soup taste better with a porcelain spoon? Think of the difference between drinking wine in a wine glass or out of a metal cup. Some things react with metal. Acidic things clash with metal. Eating with chopsticks is a subtle thing, a gentler way of doing things, not a hurried shoveling into the mouth that can take place with forks and spoons. I've noticed that I take more time to savor my meal and appreciate each bite when using chopsticks. I also appreciate it when all the food is already the right size to place in my mouth. I don't need to cut or whittle out a piece that will fit. It's all been done for me (or by me if I cooked it earlier) I have to admit, though, that I have a habit of being a very fast eater, always the first one finished. Using chopsticks has really helped be to 'stop and taste the chicken". I've gotten pretty good at using them but I just like using them for all sorts of things. I do use spoons because I think they are indispensable for some things, but chopsticks are just seem so much more refined and thoughtful for the meal. And then there is the noise factor. With chopsticks, either wood or bamboo usually, there is no clacking against the dishes. Mealtime is only conversation, background and some well-placed slurping :-)