Everyone has seen people eating with chopsticks, and the act is often used for comic effect in television and the movies. What is funnier than a fumble-fingered American attempting to eat anything with two sticks? Hilarious. However, chopsticks are still used in Asia and eating with them is really not that difficult. Practice makes perfect.

Someone wanting to serve an authentic Asian meal may want to invest in chopsticks for their guests. But the host should consider if the guests will be able to manage chopsticks, and should plan accordingly. There is an amusing variety of chopsticks called "forkchops" that have a knife and fork on the opposite end for Westerners who can't manage the sticks. A considerate host will want to provide a regular knife and fork for guests, just in case.

Chopsticks are steeped in history and first appeared in China some 5,000 years ago. By 500 AD, they had made the journey to Korea, Japan and Vietnam, where they are still in common use. Cutting food into smaller pieces reduces cooking time and uses less fuel, so this cooking method led to the widespread use of utensils perfectly suited to eating bite-size food. The nobility started the tradition of using expensive materials like gold, silver, jade and porcelain for chopsticks. The middle and lower classes have almost always used wooden or bamboo chopsticks.

Since chopsticks are so historic, their use is rife with superstition. It may not matter when eating with Westerners, but when eating with Asian people, a guest should be mindful of chopstick etiquette. Guests should never drop their chopsticks because it signals bad luck. They should also never pass food from their chopsticks to someone else's, since this is a funeral custom. Chopsticks should never be placed straight up in a bowl of rice, since this is another mourning custom. Resting your chopsticks at the side of the plate is always acceptable.

Chopsticks are almost ridiculously inexpensive. The disposable bamboo kind that the diner breaks apart are sold by the gross at Asian food markets for next to nothing. A host wanting more individualized, decorated chopsticks can buy lacquered wooden ones online or in stores for about US$1.50 per pair. The price only goes up to about US$8 per pair for intricately designed cloisonné chopsticks! A host will also want to buy small wooden rests for each pair of chopsticks, so guests don't have to place their utensils flat on the table.

Once the host has the materials, price and backup plan in mind for his Asian-inspired meal, he can buy chopsticks from any Asian grocery store or online. Some Chinese and Japanese restaurants sell them, as well.