Society

The secret to keeping bamboo chopsticks from getting moldy from the people in the highlands of Nghe An

Dinh Tuan • September 14, 2024 15:12

From bamboo sticks, through the skillful and meticulous hands of the people of Nghe An highlands, the market has been created smooth, even, beautiful, golden chopsticks. In particular, with a special secret, these bamboo chopsticks never get moldy and also have beautiful colors.

bna_1(2)-870cd64ed92c209e9daddfe3652cb8c8.jpg — Bamboo chopsticks making has long been associated with many highland families. Up to now, many families in Tuong Duong district still maintain and preserve the craft of bamboo chopsticks making, both for family use and to supply the market, developing the economy. Photo: Dinh Tuan

bna_2(2).jpg — The process of making bamboo chopsticks is completely manual, starting from selecting the raw materials, to splitting, planing and whittling the chopsticks... Mr. Lo Minh Thanh, in Thach Duong village, Xa Luong commune, Tuong Duong district said: To make chopsticks durable and beautiful, the selection of raw materials is also very important. Bamboo, meter to make chopsticks must be at least 3 years old, if young, the chopsticks will be thin and soft, leading to easy warping; bamboo, meter must be long and straight. In addition, the person whittling must be careful, meticulous, and have skillful hands to produce beautiful, satisfactory products. In the photo: Mr. Thanh is meticulously whittling chopsticks. Photo: Dinh Tuan

bna_3(1).jpg — To ensure product quality, each chopstick must be aligned evenly, with the tip tapering towards the end and not bent or concave. Not many people can whet a bundle of chopsticks, and any chopsticks put together will form a pair. After whet, the chopsticks must be cleaned with sandpaper to make them smooth and shiny, then dried in the sun. Photo: Dinh Tuan

bna_4(2)-0d7e7c1fbc3d7e3b02fe0a261c6eb4de.jpg — Mr. Thanh put the chopsticks out to dry in the sun after polishing them. Photo: Dinh Tuan

bna_5(1).jpg — After having whittled the chopsticks into even and beautiful shapes, a very important step is dyeing the chopsticks. Thai people often dye chopsticks with fresh turmeric. Photo: Dinh Tuan

bna_6(1).jpg — Fresh turmeric will be crushed after being collected. Photo: Dinh Tuan

bna_7(2)-82bd8f3c66adeed866cc48cf79b83336.jpg — Next, put a layer of chopsticks in the pot, then a layer of turmeric and white salt. This step is repeated until all the chopsticks, turmeric and white salt are used up. Then put it on the stove to boil, after about 1 hour, take it off the stove and continue to bring the chopsticks out to dry in the sun. Photo: Dinh Tuan

According to Ms. Loc Thi Lan (born in 1958), residing in Thach Duong village, Xa Luong commune (Tuong Duong), turmeric will help chopsticks become golden, white salt will help chopsticks not get moldy or wormy. Therefore, chopsticks produced by the people can be used for a long time and are safe for health. Photo: Dinh Tuan

There are many types of chopsticks on the market with good quality and beautiful designs such as plastic chopsticks, iron chopsticks, wooden chopsticks, but many people still prefer to use chopsticks handmade from bamboo because they are environmentally friendly, do not worry about chemicals, dyes, are safe to use in every daily meal and most importantly, they never get moldy. Currently, many people not only whittle chopsticks for use, but also whittle chopsticks to sell to increase their income. It is known that each pair of chopsticks is sold by people for 2,000 VND. Photo: Dinh Tuan

Dinh Tuan