I'm curious for a native's opinion on how important these are. The etiquette I was taught growing up in the US is a mix of:

    - several things that are often quoted as good etiquette but nobody follows (elbows off the table, correct order of dishes)
    - lots of things that are customary but nobody cares if you don't follow it (napkin on lap, placement of silverware)
    - only a few things that actually matter and would be considered rude by normal people (don't touch shared food with used silverware, keep your mouth closed while chewing)

Of these several dozen "rules" for chopsticks, how many actually fall into the last category of things that actually matter?

▲ jwrallie an hour ago | parent | next [-]

People told me to avoid placing chopsticks upwards in a bowl before I even went to Japan so that is the only one I’d keep in mind.

Given how many of these are clever tricks that I learned from seeing Japanese people eat, like aligning the chopsticks quickly in a plate or cleaning waribashi from splinters by rubbing them together, I’d not take all of these seriously, but it’s cool to know nonetheless.

▲ 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

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▲ cthalupa 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Honestly, I don't even really see 'don't touch shared food with used silverware' followed if a place doesn't provide specific serving utensils.

	▲	hatthew 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Yeah it's a pretty flexible rule, but it's at least something to think about, unlike a lot of other "rules" that you're allowed to completely disregard for your entire life. I probably was too strict in describing that last bullet point.