And now I'm realizing that when I say "Japanese" I actually might mean Korean. Most of the Japanese food restaurants in Toronto are run by people from Korea and I have no idea if they use Japanese chopsticks or Korean chopsticks or if there is even a difference. Huh. Stuff I have not thought about before.

I do recall somebody telling me that in their country there is a class difference in how chopsticks are held - holding chopsticks near the tip is the mark of a peasant, while a "refined" person would hold them closer to the ends. Of course now I can't remember who told me this so I have no idea what culture I'm talking about.