Home > Chopstick Rests
January 17th, 2022
Many things in life fall on a continuum, and crockery is no exception. Consider the axis of “required” to “unnecessary”. Do you need plates? Yes, absolutely, you need to own plates. If you eat off paper plates every day you’re a monster or a student. Do you need to own champagne flutes? Hmm; not necessarily, but they’re nice. If an occasion calls for champagne, the correct glassware would not go amiss. Do you need to own fish forks? No, absolutely not, a regular fork or cake fork will be fine.
Chopstick rests are closer to the “unnecessary” end, but can be good gifts. They’re whimsical and small. They can be nice little ornaments. Obviously you can use them for chopsticks, which don’t sit comfortably on the edge of a plate or bowl. And chopstick rests have other uses: keeping cooking spoons, paintbrushes, or toothbrushes off the counter.
You can buy online, but you should buy these in person where possible. It needs to be physically pleasing; you can’t judge that from pictures. Asian groceries will have some, as will more specialist boutiques. The crane pictured here is sold by Sanko ($13). Hanji sells a similar model ($5), amongst others. Visit your local stores, and see what appeals.