Learning chopsticks
By Gwen Robinson
In the West, as well as in Asia, tastes and dining etiquette are changing. ‘
There is more understanding of different cuisines and cultures’, says Alan Yau, the innovative and successful founder of the Wagamama chain of Asia noodle restaurants in the UK.
‘But people stil don’t understand etiquette very well.
For example, in one of my Thai restaurants, Western diners insist on using chopsticks.
They don’t want to eat the Thai way, just with fork and spoon,’ says Yau, ‘so we give them chopsticks.
Then Thai people say we are not a ‘real’ Thai restaurant because we provide chopsticks’.