Chapter 55 put down your chopsticks

Roland Barthes praised chopsticks.Compared with knives and forks, chopsticks, he argues, have a maternal tenderness that he "does not cut, scratch, destroy, wear...with the appropriate care in moving a baby: he is a Force, not an impulse. He never penetrates food, never breaks food, never tears food, never destroys food, but only lifts food, turns food and moves food... Food is no longer a Prey with violence". Bart's inspiration comes from the water market in Bangkok, which generally refers to oriental chopsticks.However, during the samurai era in Japan, chopsticks have a record as an offensive weapon.Since it was not allowed to bring knives into restaurants in ancient times, warriors sharpened their chopsticks according to local conditions for emergencies.Therefore, according to Japanese table manners, chopsticks should not be placed facing others, but must be placed horizontally on the chopstick pillow, which seems to mean "nuclear weapons do not aim at each other" today.

In ancient China, the ceremony of horizontal chopsticks was also practiced in the court, but this has nothing to do with Japanese horizontal chopsticks. It shows the respect of the younger generation for the elders, and it was abolished until Zhu Yuanzhang.In Chinese history, there are few records of hurting people with chopsticks.Of course, the judge pen seems to be a kind of cold weapon closest to chopsticks. It is used to acupoint and relieve acupoints, and it is mostly seen in the legendary novels of the Tang Dynasty.However, the official history has never listed it among the eighteen kinds of weapons, and it is a small skill that a strong man can't do.Judge pens are mostly made of fine steel, and are mainly used for pointing, stabbing, dialing, and picking, and are held with two hands, which are closer to knives and forks.

In the fantasy of Chinese literati, careful observation of chopsticks and their use will help martial arts to a new level, which can be seen in the discussion at the dinner table. "Hu Fei no longer stretched out his chopsticks to grab the vegetables, but held them up in the air, and did not let them fall. His eyes were fixed on Miao Renfeng's chopsticks. His own chopsticks slowly moved down inch by inch, and finally touched the cabbage. The technique at that time was incredible. It was fast and fast, retracted it with a pinch, and sent it to his mouth. Miao Renfeng couldn't see the rise and fall of his chopsticks, so he couldn't stop him, so he threw the chopsticks on the table, laughing loudly. Hu Fei ate from the mouthful of cabbage , Only then did he truly step into the realm of the first-rate master."

Although chopsticks do not hurt people directly, there is a hidden and inner power.This inner power is not reflected in the use of chopsticks, but in their temporary suspension, which is similar to the Taoist technique in the house.At the Chinese dinner table, if a person wants to show his majesty, he does not need to roar loudly, let alone smash the utensils. He only needs to "severely" buckle the chopsticks on the table, which is neither rude nor dignified.In contrast, knives and forks are not "slapped" or "buttoned". If Mr. Bart happens to get angry at a certain dinner in Montparnasse, he can only throw the knife and fork on the white tablecloth, and A scandal sure to be tabloid headlines the next day, and one that Mr Butt will be mortified with shame afterwards.

Throwing the wine glass is just a signal, and the real contribution is the knife and axe behind the screen; the chopsticks are different, they are both information and media.When a pair of chopsticks are patted on the table with a "snap" (the buckled chopsticks must be kept neat and orderly, the more orderly the more majestic), the momentum can only be compared with a gavel. This power is only enjoyed by the elders or those in authority at the dinner table, and it is mostly exercised in families that practice patriarchalism.Sima Guang's "Family Model" says: "The way of the family is dignified." If a parent only enjoys the priority of using chopsticks at the dinner table, but does not have the right to pat the same pair of chopsticks on the table at any time, such an authority system Undoubtedly incomplete, it has the overtones of a constitutional monarchy.At the same time, the tabletop suitable for "buttoning chopsticks" is preferably hardwood, followed by glass, and neither can cover the tablecloth.Plastic tabletops, and anything muffled in sound, are a repudiation of authority.I have noticed that hardwood or glass are the preferred tops for dining tables in patriarchal families.

Let the raised chopsticks make a sudden pause between the mouth and the dining table instead of being easily buckled on the table. At the same time, the face should not change suddenly, but should maintain a stagnant state. It is the highest state of "buttoning chopsticks".The so-called "leading without sending out, jumping like a jump", means defeating others without fighting.