Did you know that chopsticks vary from country to country? Indeed, even something as apparently simple as a pair of slender eating utensils can bear the hallmarks of its country of origin. Try keeping a sharp eye out the next time you go out to eat, and you’ll notice that the sticks at our Bellevue Korean restaurant are different from other places you might visit.

The oldest variety of chopstick comes from China. Here the chopstick is cut in more of a square shape than in other countries, and the tip is broader and blunter. This original shape is thought to date back as far as five thousand years, and is preserved to this day by the Chinese.

In Japan, the rounded chopstick is more common. The tip also tends to be thinner than that of the Chinese variety.

In Korea, the favored chopstick is crafted out of stainless steel. These sticks are made into a flat, rectangular shape and engraved with ornate designs along the broad sides.