筷子簡史

Theres a set of utensils1） used by billions of people around the world—and it has a truly ancient past. The Chinese have been using chopsticks since at least 1200 B.C.， and by A.D. 500 the slender2） sticks had swept the Asian continent from Vietnam to Japan. From their humble beginnings as cooking utensils to paper-wrapped bamboo sets at the sushi counter， theres more to chopsticks than meets the eye3）.

The legendary ruins of Yin， in Henan province， provided not only the earliest examples of Chinese writing but also the first known chopsticks—bronze sets found in tombs at the site. Capable of reaching deep into boiling pots of water or oil， early chopsticks were used mainly for cooking. It wasnt until A.D. 400 that people began eating with the utensils. This happened when a population boom across China sapped4） resources and forced cooks to develop cost-saving habits. They began chopping food into smaller pieces that required less cooking fuel—and happened to be perfect for the tweezers5）-like grip of chopsticks.

As food became bite-sized， knives became more or less out of date. Their decline—and chopsticks ascent—also came because of Confucius. As a vegetarian， he believed that sharp utensils at the dinner table would remind eaters of the slaughterhouse6）. He also thought that knives sharp points evoked7） violence and warfare， killing the happy， content mood that should reign during meals. Thanks in part to his teachings， chopstick use quickly became widespread throughout Asia.

Different cultures adopted different chopstick styles. Perhaps in a nod to Confucius， Chinese chopsticks featured a blunt8） rather than pointed end. In Japan， chopsticks were 8 inches long for men and 7 inches long for women. In 1878 the Japanese became the first to create the now-ubiquitous9） disposable10） set， typically made of bamboo or wood. Wealthy diners could eat with ivory， jade， coral， brass or agate11） versions， while the most privileged used silver sets. It was believed that the silver would corrode12） and turn black if it came into contact with poisoned food.

Throughout history， chopsticks have enjoyed a symbiotic13） relationship with another staple14） of Asian cuisine15）： rice. Naturally， eating with chopsticks lends itself to16） some types of food more than others. At first glance， youd think that rice wouldnt make the cut17）， but in Asia most rice is of the short- or medium-grain variety. The starches18） in these rices create a cooked product that is gummy and clumpy， unlike the fluffy19） and distinct grains of Western long-grain rice. As chopsticks come together to lift steaming bundles of sticky rice， its a match made in heaven.

有一套餐具在全球有數十億的使用者，而且它還有著真正古老的過去。中國人至少在公元前1200年就開始使用筷子了。到公元500年的時候，纖細的筷子已經風靡整個亞洲大陸，從越南到日本都有。從起初不起眼的廚具變成如今壽司桌上裝在紙袋里的竹筷，筷子可沒有看上去那么簡單。

舉世聞名的河南殷墟不僅出土過最早的漢字范例（編注：指甲骨文），還挖掘出已知的最早的筷子——這是一雙青銅筷，埋于此處的墓穴里。早期的筷子可以探進沸騰的水鍋或油鍋深處，主要當做廚具使用。直到公元400年，人們才開始使用筷子來吃飯。這一改變發生的時候，正值華夏大地人口暴漲，資源損耗變大，迫使做飯的人養成省吃儉用的習慣。他們開始將食物切得更小，以便節省燃料，而小塊的食物剛好非常適合筷子鑷子式的夾取方式。

隨著食物變成易于入口的小塊，刀具就多少顯得有些過時。伴隨著筷子的興起，刀具開始沒落，這其中也有孔子的原因。作為一個素食者，孔子認為飯桌上的鋒利餐具會讓吃飯的人想起屠宰場。他還認為，刀具的尖頭會喚起對暴力和戰爭的聯想，破壞進餐時應有的怡然自足。在一定程度上，當時多虧了孔子的教誨，用筷子吃飯才迅速傳遍亞洲。

文化不同，筷子所采用的風格也不同。或許是為了向孔子表示敬意，中國的筷子端頭是鈍的而不是尖的。在日本，男性的筷子長八英寸（編注：約20厘米），而女性的筷子長七英寸（編注：約18厘米）。1878年，日本第一個發明一次性筷子，這種筷子一般由竹子或木頭制成，如今無處不在。有錢人吃飯時可能會用象牙筷、玉筷、珊瑚筷、銅筷或瑪瑙筷，而最為位高權重的人則用銀筷。據說，銀筷接觸到帶毒的食物會腐蝕變黑。

縱觀整個歷史，筷子總是與亞洲菜系的另一種主食大米相伴左右。自然，有一些食物會比其他食物更適合用筷子吃。乍看起來，你會覺得大米不會位于其列，但亞洲的大米多是短粒或中粒米，這類大米里的淀粉使得做好的米飯粘成塊狀，不像西方的長粒米那樣米粒蓬松、顆粒分明。用一雙筷子去夾起一團又一團熱騰騰、黏糊糊的米飯，兩者簡直就是絕配。