In some Japanese restaurants, chopsticks will come in a paper envelope and they'll be carved from a single piece of wood. When you separate them, there can be small splinters on the sides of the sticks. Can the two sticks be rubbed together to smooth away the splinters? Someone told me that was considered rude. Personally, I think it's rude when I get a wooden splinter in my tongue or lips!

Thanks, in advance.

together. This sends a message to the owner that he only supplies cheap chopsticks.. and will be offended. This is in Japan...in the USA.. no one cares..but if you are visiting Japan any time in the Future (whenever this pandemic is over.) Be sure to read up on traditions and taboos in Japan.

or the plain, thicker wooden ones, or both?

Its been said that Geisha or Japanese women wear their chopsticks in their hair to hold it up... that is false. There are special wooden sticks that are specially made for hair. Its about ridicules as an American woman walking about with plastic forks in her hair,.. would you want to eat off those?

So here is what I know... I used to collect Chopsticks...so I know about many kinds.

Here in the USA.. if you go to a Chinese restaurant they will always give you the very long plastic chopsticks. Easy to wash. But if you go to Chinatown here in San Francisco and shop for Chinese chopsticks you will every thing from JADE ...to IVORY, (although Ivory chopsticks is not something I would buy. Its wrong to kill an animal just to make chopsticks.. and no need for it.)

Thai Chopsticks are very beautiful. Carved wood...that may take hours to hand craft... though some are manufactured on a large scale. But the designs in the wood is very natural .. and many times you can see the wood vein..run vertically with the chopstick. Some are also lacquered.

In South Korea they use metal Chopsticks.. last longer and they also look beautiful. Stainless steel...just like our forks, knives and spoons.. I have some of these..they are also intricately made.

Japan likes to use what is called Waribashi or disposable chopsticks. Ohashi are chopsticks you would find in a persons home in Japan. Some are made from beautiful wood.. some are painted... lacquered with gold dust.. I have seen some with different kinds of wood.

In Vietnam, chopsticks are not used,,, because they like using western utensils. I know this because I tried to get some in a Vietnamese Restaurant one time, and asked for Chopsticks. They told me they don't use them. They do use the Asian style soup spoons.. which I have a few of those as well. Gotta use it with my Yellow Curry... and on the side rice... (I use chopsticks for that)

Hope this helps... there is a lot of information about Chopsticks... one half of the entire world's Hemisphere use Chopsticks. while in the west... well you know. Hope this helps.

I am not sure why a Vietnamese restaurant person would say they donʻt use chopsticks. Perhaps the restaurant was not owned by Vietnamese. Vietnam is most certainly a culture that uses chopsticks. I learned to use chopsticks in Vietnam 53 years ago, and lived there for 8 years. The Philippines is an Asian culture that generally does not use chopsticks, unless the family is ethnically Chinese. Aloha!

but come to think of it, I do remember seeing one place had a huge jar by the check out desk, that had a ton of Green plastic chopsticks kinda like what is seen in Chinese restaurants. I agree about the Philippines restaurants... One of my favorites is in South San Francisco called Karilagan. its right next to Max's Restaurant (also pinoy) on EL Camino road. There is also CHOWKING...where you can actually buy shop made Lumpia...frozen and ready to take home. But .. for me.. the Halo Halo at Karilagan's is the best I have ever tasted.

Have you tried "dinaguan"? Pork blood and pig parts. Delicious!

Beef, Pork, or lamb. I tend to go with Seafood and or Poultry. Speaking of Poultry there is Balut which I really want to try. My favorite
dish is Shrimp Gambas at Karilagan's. By the way, Max's is pretty famous for their fried chicken. Its a little more spicy than you would expect.

Most of the food I am getting these days is through the Grubhub app. Its too bad that Karilagan's doesn't deliver, though maybe with the pandemic... they may be using doordash, not sure.

Balut, or fertilized duck embryo, is one of those things you either love or hate. They can also be cooked at different times in the maturation process to provide a different experience. Very young, and the duckling is still basically an egg, although slightly developed. At about 17 days, the duck is just starting to form a body, with no identifiable parts. Post 18-20 days, the duck will have a head, a beak, feet, and feathers. the taste is more or less the same, but different texture. Masarap! Delicious!