Waribashi (割り箸、わりばし)

Do you use chopsticks at meals? Or do people in your country use them generally? We Japanese people use them while eating, along with a folk and a spoon. The other day I visited a restaurant and found an interesting chopstick wrapping which explained "how to use" them in English. I think it's a good time to tell you how to use them correctly, so I brought home one of the surplus disposable chopsticks.

Here are photos I took of the disposable chopsticks with the interesting paper. We call this kind of chopsticks "Waribashi (割り箸)" as we split one into two when eating and toss them away later. So, mostly disposable chopsticks are used outside home. Otherwise, we use chopstics that can be washed and used repeatedly. 

On the flip side of the wrapping paper, they are depicting how to use chopsticks. I scanned the paper closely so that you can see fine details.

I'll explain how to use in my own words with the help of the wrapping paper. First, you hold one chopstick between a thumb and an index finger. You should hold the first stick without moving it.

On the second picture, you put a second stick with the tips of thumb, index and middle fingers. Thist time, you have to move the second stick to meet the end of the first chopstick.

Then, you'll pick up the food, manipulating the second stick.

In addition, on the lower right of the clip, Japanese character "紙 (kami)" is printed, meaning paper, which shows the product material. The symbol is used in separating trash. If at home, even a small piece of paper will be separated for a recycle.