It is quite possible to enjoy the taste of rice using chopsticks without looking silly if you know how to handle them. Forget your fork and learn to use the rice chopsticks!
It is quite difficult to eat rice with chopsticks; you can move on to this dish only after you learn to eat other foods with chopsticks. There is a method of maneuvering and a method of etiquette to learn how to eat rice correctly.
According to the first method, take the first stick with your thumb and middle fingers, squeeze it well so that the stick does not move in any way. The widest part of the stick should be located at the bend of the fingers. The stick itself should pass through the pad of the thumb and at the same time lie on the middle, i.e. pretty much the way you hold the pen, but much lower.
Hold the second stick with your index and thumb. Place your thumb on the second stick so that it is higher than the first, while the second stick is movable. The sticks should touch each other, the wide ends should not form a cross. Now practice: if you can freely open and close the sticks and only the top stick moves, then you did everything right. Touch the chopsticks to the rice, observing an angle of 45 degrees, grab a piece of rice with the chopsticks and bring the food to your mouth. If you feel the sticks unstable while grabbing the rice, try again.
The method of etiquette is that you cannot put your individual sticks in the common plate of rice. In order to grab the amount of food you need, use new chopsticks that no one has used before, or turn your chopsticks upside down.
At that moment, when you do not eat rice with chopsticks, in no case should they stick into the dish. From the point of view of Asian superstition, such a sign is considered a bad omen predicting a funeral.
In addition, do not pierce the rice dish with chopsticks. This is bad form. Also, do not cross the sticks during or after a meal. After your meal, simply stack the chopsticks next to the plate on the left side of the plate. Do not transfer food to another person with chopsticks. Do not point at people or objects with chopsticks. All of these gestures are considered indecent in Asia and are indicative of poor upbringing.
The rules for eating rice are not as harsh with respect to rice as they are to other dishes. If you have a plate of rice in front of you, then you can put it in front of you as close as possible. And while you grab the rice with the chopsticks and put the food in your mouth, it is also permissible to raise the plate.
