Abstract
The effect of parental instruction on the way that college students held chopsticks and their table manners was studied. The ways of holding chopsticks by 87 female college students were photographed and categorized into the traditional group (60.9%) and non-traditional group (39.1%). These non-traditional ways were sub-categorized into 6 types. The traditional group had received long-term instruction from their parents during their early childhood which led to traditional table manners for holding chopsticks. In contrast, the non-traditional group had received short-term instruction in the later stage of their childhood, showing the necessity for giving continuous instruction during early childhood. Compared with the non-traditional group, the traditional group were significantly (p < 0.05) more conscious of their table manners for using chopsticks and of the importance of having meals with the family. Both groups showed willingness to hand down the traditional way of using chopsticks.
