Background:

As many people will know, chopsticks have come to be one of the eminent icons of East Asian culture. Conjectured to have been used in historical China from as early as 200 B.C. during the Han Dynasty, chopsticks have been used by the noblest of royalty and the lowliest of the commoners. Though predominantly used in the consumption of food, the ability to excel in the use of these utensils has been so coveted in parts of Asia that game shows revolving around chopstick use have sprung up.

Questions to address:

What sets off chopsticks as such a presiding figure of East Asian culture as compared to the fork and knife in regards to Western culture? Possibilities: strong connection of superstition within the utensils itself, e.g. taboo of sticking chopsticks straight up and down in bowl because of resemblance to funeral incense sticks

Earlier in history, chopsticks for the wealthy were made of the finest ivory and were heavily sought after. Now, the disposable chopsticks industry is now a multimillion dollar industry, and countries such as Japan and China are now even taxing the production of said chopsticks because of the environmental impact. How has the nature of chopstick production throughout history reflected the economic and society of the user?

Sources:

Follow the Chopsticks A commentary on the rapidity of China's economic growth, and the ecological damage as evidenced by the government's concern over production of wooden disposable chopsticks <http://cisweb.lexis-nexis.com/sourceselect/listSources.asp?srcpdn=academic&cc=&spn=&_m=19bfee89059bde05e51324f16e12a6b2&wchp=dGLbVzz-zSkVb&_md5=e1d3ac5fd04a1f987a49f234b160eb84>

The Way of Chopsticks An exhortation to more often utilize chopsticks in Western culture, as well as a short background on chopsticks and its Confucian origins <http://cisweb.lexis-nexis.com/sourceselect/listSources.asp?srcpdn=academic&cc=&spn=&_m=19bfee89059bde05e51324f16e12a6b2&wchp=dGLbVzz-zSkVb&_md5=e1d3ac5fd04a1f987a49f234b160eb84>

Links currently not working, will update when I reobtain the URL through LexisNexis