Korean eating utensils
Sujeo, a set of Korean eating utensils.
Korean nameHangul수저
Revised RomanizationSujeoMcCune–ReischauerSujŏSujeo (수저) is the Korean word for the set of eating utensils commonly used to eat Korean cuisine. The word is a portmanteau of the words sutgarak (숟가락, 'spoon') and jeotgarak (젓가락, 'chopsticks'). The sujeo set includes a pair of oval-shaped or rounded-rectangular metal (often stainless steel) chopsticks, and a long handled shallow spoon of the same material.[1] One may use both at the same time, but this is a recent way to speed eating. It is not considered good etiquette to hold the spoon and the chopstick together in one hand especially while eating with elders.[2] More often food is eaten with chopsticks alone. Sometimes the spoon apart from chopsticks is referred to as sujeo.
Chopsticks may be put down on a table, but never put into food standing up, particularly rice, as this is considered to bring bad luck since it resembles food offerings at a grave to deceased ancestors.[3] The spoon may be laid down on the rice bowl, or soup bowl, if it has not been used. As food is eaten quickly, and portions are small, little time is spent in putting eating utensils down.
Cases for sujeo in paper or Korean fabrics were often embroidered with symbols of longevity and given as gifts, particularly at weddings. They are now sold as souvenirs.
See also
- Spoon and chopstick rest
- Korean cuisine
- Korean culture
- Chopsticks
References
- ^ "Dining Etiquette". Travel Seoul. Google eBook. 2010. ISBN 978-1-60778-031-1. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
- ^ "Korean table manners". Visit Korea. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
- ^ Pettid, Michael J. (2008). Korean cuisine: an illustrated history. China: Reaktion Books Ltd. pp. 154–159. ISBN 978-1-86189-348-2.
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(Hee Young Kim/Asia Society Korea)
As a part of the Leo Gala Series to give wider publicity to Korean culture and celebrate its beauty beyond the facade, Asia Society Korea presents a comparative coverage of the chopstick culture in East Asia.
Over the long history of mankind, different types of utensils have been used for preparing and consuming food. If Western dining is commonly defined by a fork and knife, chopsticks are what many people expect in Asia.
As time passed and the diets changed, China and Japan mostly used chopsticks as their main tools for eating. Spoons are often provided upon request or used with specific dishes that require a spoon. In Korea, on the other hand, the spoons and chopsticks that were used during the Joseon dynasty are what we use in modern-day Korea, except the materials that are used to make the spoons and chopsticks has changed. This particular set of utensils is called su-jeo (수저) — spoon (sut-ga-rak) and chopsticks (jeot-ga-rak) — in Korean.
Chopsticks are thought to be as old as ancient China and are believed to have been introduced to Korea and Japan as early as 500 AD. Depending on the available resources, rather it be for food or what the dishes are made of, chopsticks have developed differently in all three countries. Food anthropologists have different theories about the reasons for this.
In China, chopsticks are longer, wider, and often made of wood or plastic. Their diet included many fried foods, and the meals were often shared among a large group. In Japan, chopsticks are shorter, thinner, and made of wood. Dishes in Japanese cuisine are often prepared for each individual, so it was unnecessary to use longer chopsticks.
Meanwhile, in Korea, spoons and chopsticks became shorter and flatter as the aristocrats practiced eating alone and brass bowls became commonly used among the wealthy. Due to its high thermal conductivity, brass bowls were hot and heavy to hold. As a result, a flatter, shorter spoon was more convenient and preferred. As soup continued to be an essential part of Korean cuisine, spoons never left the table and people still continue to alternate between chopsticks and spoons with one hand.
Then why did metal utensils become popular? During the Joseon dynasty, the king used silver spoons to detect if his food was safe since the material effectively changed color in the presence of toxins. Aristocrats used brass su-jeo. The less fortunate were unable to afford brass utensils and used wooden ones, but it was generally believed that brass su-jeo were better, perhaps as a symbol of wealth. However, wooden su-jeo made from the willow tree were used for funerals and ancestral memorial services regardless of class.
Today, metal su-jeo are considered more hygienic as they are able to be sterilized in boiling water. Their popularity in Korea can also be due to the fact that Koreans usually eat their rice with spoons, unlike China and Japan where chopsticks are preferred and thus wooden chopsticks are more efficient. Another theory suggests that the use of metallic utensils came from the Korean War. With limited resources, people were forced to be creative. They recycled tin cans from the army to make utensils when they couldn’t find or afford brass. At first, the public was uncomfortable with this change and claimed the utensils were so flat and light that they would slip right out of their hands. To improve their functionality, craftsmen carved decorations into the end of the spoons and chopsticks to increase friction and prevent the tools from slipping.
Although they may all look similar, eating utensils often contain a story that stems from a country’s cultural identity and history. Take a closer look at the utensils next time you visit a restaurant. It may enrich your dining experience as much as the food itself.
If you’ve had Korean, Chinese, and Japanese food, you would notice that chopsticks are different in each country.
Chopsticks are believed to be as old as Chinese society and an important part of East Asian cuisine. The Chinese called chopsticks extensions of their fingers which endured extreme cold and hot temperatures. The use of chopsticks spread to Korea and Japan as early as 500 A.D. Initially, they were used like skewers to pick up food from a pot or fire but eventually used as eating utensils. Unlike European cuisine, knives were unnecessary cutlery because due to shortages in fuel, agricultural products, and meat, food was first cut into bite-sized pieces before it was cooked.
While chopsticks were invented in China, the chopsticks of Korea, China, and Japan developed differently because of the resources that were available at the time and because of the differences in their cuisines and cultures.
In China, chopsticks are longer and wider. In Japan, they are shorter, thinner, and more tapered than its neighbors.
In Korea, the spoon and chopstick are always together. The chopsticks are also made out of metal. They appear for square and flat. Korean utensils are unique from China and Japan in that Koreans use metal chopsticks and use a spoon to eat rice.
China
Chinese cuisine includes hot pot and a lot of frying (deep or otherwise). Long chopsticks were required to pick up food and avoid hurting one’s hands.1 Longer, wider chopsticks are easier to use and great reaching for food on lazy Susans. The Chinese word for a lazy Susan is cānzhuō zhuànpán (餐桌轉盤/餐桌转盘) which translates to “meal table turntable”.2 The first record of a lazy Susan in China appears more than 700 years ago in the Book of Agriculture.3
Japan
In Japan, rice was rare and therefore precious. In order to use less rice, people mixed other grains when cooking rice. This made the rice less sticky, more slippery, and harder to pick up using chopsticks. They held their bowls closer to their face and used chopsticks to push rice into their mouth.1 With this action, shorter chopsticks were more convenient to eat with. Japanese chopsticks taper most at the end for more precision when picking up wayward grains of rice.
Korea
In Korea, meat was rare. People cooked hot soup with small amounts of meat already cut into bite sizes, and then divided the soup into smaller individual sizes. A spoon and chopsticks were always used together. Spoons were used for soup and rice, and chopsticks were used to pick up side dishes, which were also served in small plates. The flat and square shape made it easier for picking up thin pieces of food. It also prevented the chopsticks from rolling away, falling off the table, and getting lost. Because chopsticks were used as auxiliary utensils, there was no need for them to be very long or very short.1
Why are Korean chopsticks metal?
Korean royals used silver spoons and chopsticks to detect poison in their food. SIlver changes color when exposed to toxins. Commoners allegedly copied this practice and made it a “trend” using chopsticks made of steel.
Koreans believed that metal chopsticks were more hygienic. They were sterilized with boiling water.
Wooden chopsticks make it easier to pick up sticky things like rice, but since Koreans use a spoon to eat rice, it didn’t matter.
The basic components of a Korean meal include:
- Rice (밥)
- Soup (국)
- Side Dishes (반찬) – banchan is any side dish that can be eaten with rice.
The rice is always on the left, the soup is always on the right. One reason for this is that as the majority of Koreans are right-handed, having the soup closest to the hand makes for fewer spills.
Next time you’re eating Korean, Chinese, and Japanese food, know that the chopsticks you’re using were no accident and were created with the cuisine in mind.
References
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Rhie W-B. Korea Unmasked: In Search of the Country, Society, and the People. Korea: Gimm-Young; 2002.
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