How different things might have been if people had paid attention to Hu Yaobang. Lazy Susans eventually took off in China, but the spoons did not. He believed the device would reduce the spread of disease because each dish would have its own serving spoon. Among the first in China to campaign for dining-habit reform was a Malaysian-born doctor who saw hope in the “lazy Susan”-a rotating platform placed on a table so diners can spin the food to each other. Edward Wang, author of “Chopsticks: A Cultural and Culinary History”.
State media are also promoting the Western practice of giving diners their own servings.Ĭoncerns that infected saliva from a utensil can pass from one person to another via a shared dish are at least a century old, says Q. They require using separate chopsticks for serving (the penalty, if any, for violators has not been specified). The city government in Beijing is drafting new rules on “civilised” behaviour. Staff use red ink to stamp the bills of compliant customers, who redeem the perk on their way out. A shopping mall in Shanghai is offering free parking to customers who agree to use them at its restaurants. In Hubei, the province worst affected by covid-19, schools are giving online lessons on how to be a good “communal-chopsticks pioneer”.
It is rarely done except in very formal settings. They are common in other chopstick-using societies, such as Japan and Taiwan, but swapping from one set of chopsticks to another is often considered a nuisance in mainland China. These extra chopsticks-often longer than usual and specially labelled or coloured-are not to be placed in the mouth. Diners are encouraged to use designated communal ones for divvying up shared food. The aim of this “tongue-defence war”, as state media have dubbed the campaign, is to change the way chopsticks are used.
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