Chopsticks For China, Made in America

[JI7]

In the United States, many things are “Made in China.” One small American company in Georgia, however, is making traditional Chinese chopsticks. They’re sending these “Made in America” chopsticks to China.

Areas in China and Japan have run out of wood, but the American State of Georgia has a lot of wood. Georgia’s wood has a nice color. Companies have to use chemicals or bleach to lighten much of the Asian wood. The wood in Georgia is already light.

One small company in the American city of Americus, Georgia, has the solution to the shortage of wood for chopsticks. The company is called Georgia Chopsticks.

They started making chopsticks for export to China. Jae Lee, the president of Georgia Chopsticks, is Korean American. He says that the world market for chopsticks is huge. It costs Jae Lee less than one cent to make a pair of chopsticks.

China is a huge country. They’ve made basic products for the U.S. for years. Now the United States is making a basic product for China.

http://www.voanews.com/learningenglish/theclassroom/articles/american_culture/Chopsticks-For-China-Made-in-America-128608148.html

[RandySF]

1. Before you know it....

we'll be making the umbrellas for mai tai's. Way to go!!

[Liberal_in_LA]

11. America doesn't have the expertise to make those lil umbrellas!

We don't have the engineering know-how!

[Duer 157099]

2. And then soon, WE can be out of wood, too

Level playing field and all

[Spider Jerusalem]

4. Nah, Georgia has quite a lot of managed-growth pine

pulpwood and so on. Whole stands of timber planted for regrowth and harvested periodically in rural areas all over the state. Running out is probably much less of a problem for Georgia than for China where quite honestly with one thing and another resource management has not been a priority.

[FredStembottom]

3. In minnesota, decades ago....

...our Governor Rudy Perpich started the wheels rolling for a chop-stick factory up near the Iron range.
He was so maligned that the epithet "Governor Goofy", was begun right then and there.
It stuck, too.

[Javaman]

5. See this is the long term plan...first make their chop stix!

We now have them over the rice barrel!

next make the tips on their shoelaces! They will suffer frayed edges when we embargo!

Then we make their #7 button for all their cell phones, computers and other digital devices! It's a prime number! Once we take that away their algebra cartel falls to pieces!

Moohooohahahahaha!!!!

[AsahinaKimi]

6. Its interesting to note there

Are different kinds of chopsticks. I have a collection of them from different Asian countries. The Chopsticks in Korea are stainless steel. The ones from Thailand are usually hand carved and made of wood. The ones I have found from China, were large, and long. Some made of plastic, some made of Ivory, some made of stone (a kind of Jade shade)and some of wood. In Japan, "Ohashi" are brightly painted and on wood. There are also the "throw away" kind made of balsa wood. These are called waribashi.

Believe it or not, my favorite kind are Thai Chopsticks! Mostly because they are merely carved and have no paint. They are simple and are of a good length. They also have a lovely carrying bag.

[Le Taz Hot]

7. Beautiful collection.

Unfortunately, every time I try to eat with them most of my dinner ends up in my lap. It seems I'm chopstick impaired. :shrug:

[AsahinaKimi]

9. The best way to learn is to

Start with these at home.


and for kids..



If she can do it, you can do it!

[Le Taz Hot]

13. Good suggesion!

I'm thinking the bib thing might be a good idea as well.

[AsahinaKimi]

15. A bib in the begining

might be helpful yes!

[TwilightGardener]

10. Me too. I resort to impaling my food with them, and then use a fork.

[AsahinaKimi]

14. I wouldn't advise doing this

While visiting Asia. You might be thrown out of a restaurant. But Like I mentioned above.. you can always try training chopsticks. Its like training wheels on a bike! Once you get the hang of it, you can eat nearly anything!

[TwilightGardener]

16. Looks like a giant clothespin! I guess it's less embarrassing to use

"training wheels" chopsticks in public than to get tossed out on the curb, LOL.

[AsahinaKimi]

19. Oh I would suggest

Learning at home. Bring Home Chinese take out.. Chowmein, or Fried Rice, and try your chopsticks at home. Once you get the hang of it, you can impress your friends in a Chinese Restaurant!

23 things not to do with chopsticks
1) Skewering Chopsticks:
Impaling food with your chopsticks

2) Pointing Chopsticks:
Indicating people with your chopsticks

3) Double Chopsticks:
Two people eating food from the same dish

4) Standing Chopsticks:
Sticking your chopsticks in food is for Buddhist chopsticks, and is only permitted as an offering in meals at the bedside of the deceased.

5) Licking Chopsticks:
Grabbing bits of food from the tip of the chopstick with your tongue.

6) Pillaging Chopsticks:
Ransacking a dish for only the things you like.

7) Dripping Chopsticks:
Letting soup or sauce fall from the ends of your chopsticks.

8) Sharing Chopsticks:
Exchanging food from one pair of chopsticks to another.

9) Resting Chopsticks:
Laying chopsticks on your dish during the meal. This carries the sense of having finished a meal. Most Chopsticks come with a wooden resting place. If there is none, you may use the paper that your chopsticks came in. Rest them on top.

10) Shoveling Chopsticks:
Bringing a dish up to your mouth and rapidly devouring the food.

11) Drumming Chopsticks:
Tapping your chopsticks against the dishes or table.

12) Searching Chopsticks:
Searching with your chopsticks for specific items in a soup or dish by moving food around.

13) Hovering Chopsticks:
Moving your chopsticks over various dishes, while deciding which to choose.

14) Pulling Chopsticks:
Drawing a dish toward yourself with your chopsticks.

15) Impatient Chopsticks:
Waiting for another course or helping without first setting down your chopsticks.

16) Touching Chopsticks:
Putting the hand that is holding your chopsticks in contact with a dish.

17) Waving Chopsticks:
Shaking off food that is attached to the tips of your chopsticks.

18) Opening Chopsticks:
Touching and removing your chopsticks from food without taking any.

19) Biting Chopsticks:
Holding your chopsticks in your mouth.

20) Speeding Chopsticks:
Using chopsticks to jump from side dish to side dish without pausing in between to eat rice.

21) Burying Chopsticks:
Using your chopsticks to push food that is already in your mouth further back.

22. Sticking your Chopsticks in your nose like a walrus.
This is frowned upon, for obvious reasons.

23. Never rub your wooden chopsticks together in an attempt to smooth out the wood.
This is insulting to the owner of a Japanese restaurant, that his disposable chopsticks
were of such poor quality, that they need more work in shaving them down.

[TwilightGardener]

21. Interesting. I've only eaten with chopsticks a handful of times, and yet

I'm probably guilty of about half of those table-manners violations. Not the Walrus, though, thankfully.

[AsahinaKimi]

23. The last one I see violated the most.

Go into a Japanese restaurant, and people pull out their waribashi from the paper and start rubbing them together. Most of the staff will cringe when they see this. In Japan, you can make the sushi chef very angry! Chopsticks are more then just eating utensils. They are much a part of Asian tradition.

I should mention too, there have often been the mistake of seeing Asian women use Chopsticks in their hair to hold it up. They are never, ever used for that. There are certain kinds of decorative rods that are used for the hair. Each Asian country has their own terms for these.. In Japan they are called
Kanzashi, which is a sort of generic name for various hair ornaments. These are mostly used by Geisha.

[TwilightGardener]

24. Well, thanks for broadening my cultural horizons--I had no idea they were

held as more than just utensils in importance. I guess the smoothing of chopsticks would be the equivalent of holding up and earnestly inspecting and polishing one's silverware in a restaurant or at a dinner party--rude. The hair rods are beautiful.

[shanti]

25. rubbing the chopsticks together

to get the splinters off....a nisei ex boss of mine used to do this when he took the gang out to lunch at japanese restaurants. :shrug:

[AsahinaKimi]

27. Its not considered good manners.

If one has splinters, one should ask for new chopsticks, rather then try to smooth them down.

[Liberal_in_LA]

12. pretty

[Romulox]

8. We're reduced to provide raw materials for a REAL developed economy. nt

[JI7]

29. you think this is a bad thing ?

[JI7]

30. you think this is a bad thing ?

[HappyMe]

17. That's good.

Gotta start somewhere.

[Ganja Ninja]

18. Wow maybe soon we'll be dominating their toothpick market too.

:patriot:

[mainer]

20. They're weight-loss tools

I've heard that chopsticks are one of the reasons why obesity is less of a problem in Asian countries. It takes longer to eat a meal, and that extra time gives your stomach and brain the chance to register that you're already full.

[Shagbark Hickory]

22. Yay Georgia!

[Motown_Johnny]

26. If we could make them out of recycled paper products then I would be all for it

I have no idea what it costs to ship them from Georgia to China but I am guessing it is more than 1 cent.


It might be better to just let them run out and switch to something reusable.

I am happy a tiny bit of money is going to Georgia but the fact that "Areas in China and Japan have run out of wood" should be a warning to us all.

[JI7]

28. post 4 explains why this isn't a problem

as long as we have some controls in place. china probably didn't do anything to manage the cutting and regrowing.

[Name removed]

31. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[FLAprogressive]

32. "the American State of Georgia has a lot of wood" - Just ask Newt Gingrich.