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Chopsticks are an evolved tableware
Tableware found in ancient Chinese ruins dating back 7,000 years
For a civilization to use chopsticks as tableware, it must be built on a highly developed ancient civilization.
Let's imagine how humans ate food tens of thousands of years ago
Initially, people obtained meat by hunting or fishing
In the most primitive state, people ate meat directly, which was no different from animals
After humans mastered fire, they could get cooked food by roasting food
If they wanted to process and eat meat more conveniently, humans must have knives so that they could cut food into pieces. Early knives were made of stone and bone, and later knives made of metal appeared.
Therefore, the most primitive tableware of humans must be some kind of knife
In addition to meat, humans can also eat grains and vegetables
After people invented pottery, "boiling" became the second cooking method.
With liquid mixed in the food, the knife can no longer meet the requirements. In addition to holding the entire pottery and pouring it into the mouth, people must need a second kind of tableware to put the food with liquid into the mouth.
Therefore, the second kind of tableware used by humans must be some kind of spoon
A set of spoons from the Shang Dynasty, 3,500 years ago
The formation of the fork must be later than the knife and spoon, because it is not a necessity. The early role of the fork could be replaced by a branch or another knife, or they simply grabbed the food with their hands and cut it.
Therefore, the appearance of the fork must be later than the knife and spoon.
As for chopsticks. It appeared much later than the previous three tableware. The appearance of chopsticks represents that civilization has developed to a considerable height.
Imagine:
Can you cut a piece of meat from a whole leg of lamb with chopsticks and put it in your mouth? No
Can you use chopsticks to put fish soup and boiled beans into your mouth? No
If the food is not carefully pre-processed, chopsticks are useless.
A pair of bronze chopsticks from the Zhou Dynasty, 3,000 years ago
In fact, any food must be carefully processed, such as cut into suitable blocks, strips, slices, and their size just fits the human mouth, so that chopsticks can play a role.
People have sophisticated knives that can cut materials into a more delicate state
People have more condiments and spices, and find that smaller cut ingredients are more suitable for mixing with condiments.
There is a class differentiation in society, and some nobles enjoy special people preparing food for them.
A stone carving from the Han Dynasty in the 1st century AD shows a nobleman using chopsticks
This means that "cooking" has been divided among human skills, and this civilization has people who specialize in making food: chefs.
Chefs pre-process, divide and process all ingredients. It is no longer necessary for people who eat to process them at the table. This is the result of the development of civilization and the result of social division of labor.
In fact, the Chinese used chopsticks quite late. According to archaeologists, the Chinese did not fully popularize chopsticks until at least the early Tang Empire. Before that, only nobles and the upper class had the opportunity to use chopsticks, while ordinary people basically used knives, forks, spoons, bamboo pieces, and their own hands.
Therefore, chopsticks became the daily tableware of the Chinese only 1,500 years ago. China has a clear history of more than 4,000 years.

筷子是經(jīng)過進化的餐具



中國古代遺址發(fā)現(xiàn)距今7000年的餐具(刀叉)
一個以筷子作為餐具的文明,一定建立在高度發(fā)達的古代文明之上。
我們想象一下幾萬年前人類是如何吃飯的
最初,人們通過狩獵或捕魚獲取肉食
在最原始的狀態(tài)下,人們直接吃肉,和動物沒什么區(qū)別
人類掌握了火之后,就可以通過燒烤來獲得熟食
人類要想更方便地加工和食用肉類,就必須有刀,以便將食物切成小塊。早期的刀是用石頭和骨頭制成的,后來出現(xiàn)了金屬制成的刀。因此,人類最原始的餐具一定是某種刀具
除了肉類,人類還可以吃谷物和蔬菜
人類發(fā)明陶器之后,“煮”成為第二種烹飪方法。
當食物中混入液體時,刀子已經(jīng)不能滿足要求,人們除了能將整個陶器捧入口中喝之外,還必須需要第二種餐具才能將混入液體的食物送入口中。
因此,人類使用的第二種餐具一定是某種勺子
這是一套來自商朝的勺子,距今3500年前
叉子的形成一定晚于刀和勺,因為它不是必需品。叉子的早期作用可能是被樹枝或另一把刀子取代,或者他們只是用手抓起食物然后切開。
因此,叉子的出現(xiàn)一定晚于刀和勺。
至于筷子,它的出現(xiàn)比前三種餐具晚得多??曜拥某霈F(xiàn)代表著文明已經(jīng)發(fā)展到了相當?shù)母叨取?br /> 想象下:
你能用筷子從一整只羊腿上切下一塊肉放進嘴里嗎?不能
你能用筷子把魚湯和煮豆子往嘴里送嗎?不能
如果食物沒有經(jīng)過仔細的預處理,筷子就是無用的。
實際上,任何食物都要經(jīng)過精心的加工,比如切成合適的塊、條、片,其大小剛好適合人的嘴巴,這樣筷子才能發(fā)揮作用。
意味著人們擁有先進的刀具,可以將材料切割成更精細的狀態(tài)
意味著人們的調(diào)味品和香辛料越來越多,并且發(fā)現(xiàn)切塊較小的食材更適合與調(diào)味品混合。
意味著人們存在階級分化,一些貴族喜歡有專門的人為他們做飯。



公元1世紀漢代的石刻作品描繪了一位貴族使用筷子
這意味著“烹飪”已經(jīng)在人類的技能中被劃分出來,并且這個文明擁有專門制作食物的人:廚師。
廚師把所有食材預先加工、分割、處理,吃飯的人不再需要在餐桌上加工,這是文明發(fā)展的結(jié)果,也是社會分工的結(jié)果。
其實中國人使用筷子的時間相當晚,據(jù)考古學家考證,中國人至少在唐朝初期才真正普及筷子,而在此之前,只有貴族和上層階級才有機會使用筷子,普通百姓基本都是用刀叉勺、竹片,和自己的手。
因此筷子成為中國人日常餐具的時間只有1500多年,而中國有明確的4000多年的歷史。