Visiting a local Chinese restaurant is a good opportunity to learn how to use chopsticks. While most restaurants also give you the choice of using traditional North American cutlery, choosing to eat with chopsticks can be a fun challenge that you'll feel satisfied to accomplish. When you decide to eat with chopsticks, it's important to order foods that won't make the task more challenging than it needs to be—especially when you're a novice. Here are some dishes to order and some to avoid.

Egg Rolls

Egg rolls are an ideal food to practice eating with chopsticks. The big benefit is that they're large, which will make them easy to grab. Additionally, their semi-soft texture means that your chopsticks will sink into them slightly, rather than slide off and cause the food to drop. You also face the challenge of moving the egg roll off your plate, to the plum sauce, and then to your mouth, all of which is good practice for you.

Chicken And Vegetables

Many Chinese restaurants have different dishes that consist of chicken and vegetables in a sauce, and this can be a perfect way to practice using chopsticks. Given the fact that there are so many individual pieces in an order of chicken and vegetables, you'll have lots of opportunities to practice. Some of the veggies can be slick, but you'll get the knack for how to grab them and transfer them to your mouth.

Rice

Rice comes with many Chinese dishes, and while you might be eager to prove yourself by eating some of it with your chopsticks, doing so can be challenging. This isn't to say that you should necessarily stay away from it, but it's best to get comfortable with the chopsticks before you move onto rice. By waiting until you are more comfortable, you'll avoid the frustrations that you may feel while trying to eat rice as a chopsticks novice.

Noodles

Noodles are another dish that you might aspire to eat with chopsticks, but that shouldn't be on your plate too early in your quest to master these utensils. Noodles are challenging enough with a fork and spoon, but they can be tricky with chopsticks. Often, they'll slip and slide off your chopsticks before you get them to up your mouth. By focusing on easier foods to eat and temporarily staying away from those that are more challenging you'll enjoy the process more.

Reach out to a business like Savor Flavor Asia for more information about Chinese food.