I’m Bill Tsutsui with another Postcard from Asia from the Center for East Asian Studies.
Chopsticks. Whose fault are they, anyway? They were invented in China 5,000 years ago. After Confucius decreed that no knives be allowed at the table of the righteous man, chopsticks went on to become the utensil of choice throughout Asia. It has been said that using chopsticks improves memory, promotes learning, and encourages manual dexterity. This last benefit took an interesting modern twist recently. According to The Korea Times, South Korean stem cell researcher, Hwang Woo-suk, contributed a major cloning breakthrough to his mastery of the chopstick technique. Think about that next time you’re struggling to bring more rice to your mouth that ends up in your lap.
Today's Postcard from Asia was written by Randi Hacker. From the Center for East Asian Studies, I’m Bill Tsutsui. Wish you were here.
