Chopstick - The State of Art

I still remember everytime Chinese New Year I was following family to my grand ma house. We spent 3-4 days staying at there and having lunch together at round table. Recalls my memory while I was just 7 years old, still learning how to use chopsticks.

"Grand Ma makan."
"Uncle makan.."
"Aunty makan..."
"Ayah Makan..."
"Mak Makan......"

Meal only can be started after younger siblings invite elders by "Jemput Makan".
Everyone were start eating their meal and my dilemma cames... A bowl of white rice and pair of chopstick put in front of me, I was gossip to my mother :" Why there are no spoon and fork ???" My mother was angry and put chopsticks in my hand :"Don't ask too much, your grand ma don't like people eating rice with spoon... Just use it."

My little hand holding the chopstick and remain still, while my grandma was "clipping" his two wooden sticks to pick up rices. Seems like snow balls rolling up to her mouth with the magic of chopsticks. At the same time TV was showing the Kacang advertisement... Where there was an old man playing chinese chess and all of the sudden.. "Poom !!!" He smashed so hard on the table till peanuts are raising up in the sky. He quickly grab chopstick and make a snap on the air!!!

Kacang was clipped between his chopstick

The old man was smiling with his "skills"....

"Aiks... Why you just staring at the food? Eat the food before it went cold." Grand Ma was muttering at me.. Finally I put my face on bowl and use my chopstick like kind of gold digger push them all into my mouth.

It was a hard lesson for me to achieve the skill of using chopstick. How could you put your strength into two wooden sticks and let the only tiny spaces between tips to "drag away" anything? Even if you was ask me to use both hands also make no sense. My parent were patiently correcting my chopstick position in hand, it should be let the first stick hold firm while another one as a "clipper" moving up and down in tiny C Shape.

I spent 3 years in learning this "the state of art". It is our important chinese tradition in learning and even teaching it to our descendant. I love to use chopstick for eating Mee only because easier to pick up them. (However I still failed to clip any flying flies or kacang ...)

"Isshh... Makan macam orang kafir.."

Some muslim was looking at us with such weird looks while eating sizzling noodles at foodcourt. Of course they were not dare to say it out, but I can "hear" it from their eyes. Also there was a local film Gadoh reflected this issue: malay students was trying to learn using chopstick from chinese friends, suddenly a gangster malay come in arguing and scolded :" Lepas ni.. ko belajar macam mana nak makan Bxbi !!"
( Please refer Youtube Gadoh Part 5  at 4.00 minute)

Itu hanyalah "Sentimen Perkauman" yang bukan perkara baru di Malaysia.
As a matured people, we should be more open in accepting others culture and lifestyle. Islam is not racist religion, but people does.

"Eh Ikhwan, makanlah dengan tangan...." My malay colleagues was joking with me while having lunch with them, although I know their meaning is more to "perli" me eating with spoon. I was smiling and say nothing.

Of course I know how to eat with hand, I learned it from my wife as a reward for teaching her using chopsticks. Until her mother feel shocked and said :"Your husband eats no different like malay now." 

Eating with right hand also sunnah Nabi :

Dari ‘Umar bin Abi Salamah radhiallahu anhu dia berkata: Dulu aku adalah anak kecil yang berada di bawah pengasuhan Rasulullah shallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam. Ketika makan, tanganku berpindah-pindah kesana kemari di atas piring. Maka beliau bersabda kepadaku:

 

“Wahai nak, sebutlah nama Allah, makanlah dengan tangan kananmu, dan makanlah yang ada di dekatmu.”

(HR. Al-Bukhari no. 5376 dan Muslim no. 2022)

However I don't like to show off my "right hand" while eating at public, the reaction from others while noticed I am eating with hand would be a most shocking moment. How can I enjoying my meal at the same time people looking at me with "Mata nak terkeluar" emotion? Well just let me be a normal chinese customer that eating with spoon and start with Bismillah...

Unfortunately, this innocent "Chopstick" have been forbidden unofficially by muslim. Where we can find all kind of information at internet mentioned : "Makan menggunakan tangan, bukan chopstick." The reason it's so innocent due to chopstick is not related to Akidah issue or made by Haram material. Mostly it was made by plastic or bamboo.. Also it have 3000 years history where chinese can't trace who was invented chopstick.

Islam is universal and never forbidden utensils in eating. Besides chopsticks and spoon, we also have fork, knife for western food, batang kayu satay, cup and also drinking straw... What we must do is follow the sunnah instead of saying : This is Haram, That is Haram without dalil and just based on their self-perception only :

Dari Abdullah bin ‘Umar radhiallahu anhuma bahwa Rasulullah shallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam bersabda:

“Jika seseorang di antara kalian makan, maka hendaknya dia makan dengan tangan kanannya. Jika dia minum maka hendaknya juga minum dengan tangan kanannya. Kerana syaitan makan dengan tangan kirinya dan minum dengan tangan kirinya pula.” 

(HR. Muslim no. 3764)

How do I eat western food Chickenchop with chopstick?

How do I eat Mee with hand?
How do I drink water without straw and cup?

The point is we must be start with right hand according to sunnah, using chopstick or spoon with right hand, holding cup with right hand and sort of. Islam is universal religion for every races on earth, also fit into natural law.

How do we going to dakwah based on the real definition in Islam, while at the same time muslim are forbidden reverts to maintain their important cultural that bring no syirik or Haram? Please don't bring personal perception into preaching of Islam because that's misleading and scare others away from Islam. 

Conclusion:

I am not anti-Sunnah anyway.. What I mean is between eating with spoon or right hand issue, of course eating with hand is the best way according to Sunnah.

As I mentioned above, I love to use right hand too while having lunch with wife's family. However what I was try to say is : No problem to use spoon or chopstick as long as it's not made by Haram material. (Especially reverts who still in striving stage to convince family that they are not leaving non-syirik tradition )

I know this article have been hurt few people feeling and I apologize for that, just want to say out my true feeling about chinese tradition. Jazakallah Khayran.

Rujukan :

http://www.loveloveislam.com/2011/01/hukum-makan-dengan-tangan-kiri.html

http://www.pesantrenvirtual.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=972:mengikuti-sunnah-nabi&catid=1:tanya-jawab

http://pakarhowto.com/teknik/panduan-cara-makan-ikut-sunnah-nabi-saw.html

http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%AD%B7%E5%AD%90