A Few Interesting Facts about Chopsticks
Chopsticks. Hate them or love them they’ve been around longer than any other type of cutlery. People have been using them for 5000 years, and they still haven’t grown tired of them. In fact, almost a third of the world enjoys their daily meals with the help of chopsticks, which just goes to show how much influence this type of cutlery has. So, if you want to know a little more about these unique utensils, here are some really interesting facts.
They Are a More Environmentally Friendly Option to Plastic Utensils
The take-out food industry produces a lot of waste due to the use of disposable packaging and utensils. However, some types of waste are more harmful than others, namely plastic and Styrofoam waste. On the other hand, disposables like chopsticks are considered to be environmentally friendly. Why? Well, most chopsticks are made of bamboo, which is renewable and organic. As opposed to plastic forks, natural bamboo chopsticks won’t remain around for thousands of years polluting the oceans and soil. In fact, natural bamboo chopsticks can even help enrich the soil as they can be composted in special composting plants or even in your own backyard (although it may take a couple of years in certain conditions).
They Are Available in a Number of Materials
Although originally made of wood, today chopsticks are available in a range of materials from copper to silver and even gold. This way, if you enjoy eating with chopsticks, you have the option to buy more durable ones as opposed to disposable. However, natural bamboo chopsticks are still the preferred choice due to being more affordable and the fact that they are closes to the traditional design. They are also lighter and offer better grip as opposed to metal chopsticks which can be slippery and difficult to use. What’s more, you don’t need to stress whether you will accidentally scratch your expensive crockery.
They Can Help You Lose Weight
Did you know that eating with chopsticks can be worth the extra if you’d like to lose some weight? It totally makes sense – just look at the Japanese, one of the most slender nations in the world! But what’s the reason behind this? For one, food traditionally eaten with chopsticks is low in fat and sugar. And there’s the fact that using chopsticks slows down your eating pace, which in turn can prevent overeating. Since our brain takes 20min on average to read our stomach contents, eating slowly makes us more likely to register that we’re actually had enough before we ask for another plate.
And finally, there’s also the matter of sauce. Although they give a unique flavour to many dishes, sauces are your worst enemy when you want to lose weight. However, when eating chicken in creamy bechamel with chopsticks, more of the sauce will stay on the plate as opposed of going into your arteries.
