Have you ever tried to use only chopsticks for an entire meal? One of the most memorable meals of being raised by my crazy mother was one with chopsticks. She sat us all down to a dinner of fried rice and stir-fry, and then passed out chopsticks.

The five of us kids were overcome with delight. My father was not too amused, but by the end of the meal he was laughing just as hard as my 5 year old brother. The meal was a complete success, even though it took much longer to eat. The chopsticks were pulled out many times after that meal—it is impossible to eat Jell-O with chopsticks.

For those of us, like me, who are chopstick illiterate here are some simple directions:

1) Rest the end of the lower chopstick in the V of your thumb and forefinger. Support the chopstick with the little finger and the ring finger.

2) Hold the upper chopstick as if it were a pencil, held between your middle finger and index finger, and anchored with your thumb.

3) Make sure the tips of the chopsticks are always even, and the same length – it is impossible to use the chopsticks effectively if the tip of one stick protrudes beyond the other.

         * DVO welcomes your kitchen hints and cooking or nutrition questions! Email us and we'll post your hints and Q/A's in upcoming newsletters! *