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Funny topic of choice by Kotaku, but chopsticks are important. Perhaps with the evolving nature of food and our less analog culture influence a change in how we use chopsticks. The speed of our meals could also be a factor. Maybe it’s the fact that we write less and type more, thus holding pens in a specific way is no longer as much of an issue. Perhaps eating fast food with our hands and less noodles make us not need them from an early age. All of these factors make a difference, but Kotaku shows the old school way of how. (Kotaku – Chopsticks)
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It had to happen. Everyone uses disposable chopsticks almost everywhere, and they go straight to the trash. Unlike plastic which can be made and remade and yet made again, chopsticks come from somewhat of a finite source and we’ll use them faster than they can grow. Half of the sticks go to China, the other half get divided up between other countries in Asia. Countries like Japan preserve their own forest but continue to import them from other countries, which just passes the buck further. We’re not sure if this article is water tight, but it does open the doors for discussions on chopsticks. (nytimes – Deforesting for Chopsticks) In the US there’s the Korean American run Georgian Chopstick company. (giantrobot – Georgia) Photo from DDB Shanghai
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“Americus has the ideal type of wood for making chopsticks. The abundant forests of poplar and sweet gum trees in the area strike the perfect balance between hardness and softness.” Now, we’re pretty sure some clean-cut good old boy in a nice suit didn’t visit a delegation of stern Chinese government officials with a beautiful display case of Georgia-made chopsticks and say “What do ya’ll think about these fine, hand-crafted specimens”. But it’s fun to think about exactly how the ironically-named town of Americus, Georgia ended up supplying millions of these essential eating utensils to the world’s largest communist country. In truth, it has everything to do with Korean-born American entrepreneur Jae Lee, who founded Georgia Chopsticks in Americus last year and has made the chopsticks exporting business an amazing and surprising success. (TIME Newsfeed – Georgia Chopsticks for China) The Center for American Progress has more about Jae Lee and his company’s rapid success: Korean-American Opens Doors to China.
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