Here is one Yoko gave me, and it also brightens the table as a tiny vase.
Chopsticks are a very important tool for portion control - as Patrick said, you eat less. Or you learn to be satisfied with less. Japanese serve smaller portions, on smaller plates, and take their time over their meals.
This is not out of a sense of righteousness or a desire to diet. It is part of the cultural norm of eating well.
As PCP-ers, we have much to learn from the traditional Japanese attitude to food.
To eat well is to be reverent about food and that means eating faster or slower depending on our energy needs at the time. We often overestimate how quickly we need to eat and feel uncomfortable with a little bit of hunger. We see food and food images around us so much that our brains are constantly suggesting we eat - even when we don't need to! Modern people have stopped listening to the body. Cue the chopstick rest.
To listen to the body, we need a bit of 'ma' 間 or space. This is impossible if the chopsticks or fork or spoon constantly hovers over the food, like an eagle about to descend. Sometimes we need to 'rest the chopsticks' (a Japanese idiom I think).
Inject a little space into meal times and it becomes easier to let the brain catch up with the stomach. I find there is a kind of quietening and calming that happens shortly after eating. It's a good feeling, tingly, and warm.
There are other things that the Japanese do - say a kind of grace 'ittadakimasu' before eating, which means 'I receive' and 'gocchisosama' after eating which, pleasingly enough, translates to 'it was a feast'.
Let's observe 'ma', the quietening when we receives vital energy from food. Be reverent, and take pleasure. It was a feast.
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PCP-wise, today was a strong day. Made two homemade obento and just about to enjoy my evening fruit. Did a 2.5 hour capoeira class which was gruelling, but very satisfying when Cacapa made us do planks that were shorter than the ones I'd done that morning!
And here's a shot of me skipping in the park on my lunch break yesterday.
Hey Helen, you're absolutely right about the chopsticks helping you slow down and eat less. It definitely works as a tactic. Also loving the plant hashioki! It's really cool! My girlfriend also always mentions a Japanese saying about there being 7 farmers in every grain of rice.. It's supposed to encourage you not to leave any rice in your bowl or waste any food. I think not only are typical Western portions too big, but also a lot of it is wasted. Cool blog post! See ya tomorrow! Stay strong!
ReplyDeleteSo it's for chopsticks. Well if I had to rely on chopsticks to eat I'd look anorexic VERY soon! :)
ReplyDeleteLoved learning about "ma"
Wonder where you are originally from?
I've seen some salarymen doing the "bowl to the face chopsticks in a blur" as they try to finish before lunch hour ends, but you're right, Japanese meals are based on small bites of several food sources, with space between. All as the food industry does its best to combine foods in novel ways that you can eat with your hands.
ReplyDeletehttp://tinyurl.com/my52be
Thank you! I'm British, but one Japanese friend likes to imagine I spent a past life in Asia. Haha.
ReplyDeleteWhen I go back to visit family in the UK I teach my cousin's kids how to use chopsticks. It does take a bit of time and Japanese kids learn with a special 'chopstick' which curves all the way round!
It's funny how strongly our basic way of eating persists through cultural norms. My Dad and I went to a Chinese restaurant and although he ate with chopsticks, he really loaded them up!
I was shocked the first time I saw how slowly most people eat here, but now I respect it.