It’s true, Asian food tastes better eaten with chopsticks.

Using a fork or spoon may be easier for the uninitiated but those big mouthfuls will fill you up faster, meaning you won’t be able to sample all the delicacies. And making the effort to master the sticks also shows respect for the culture that is feeding you. So grasp the nettle (and the chopsticks) and give it a go. But remember, they are utensils, not drumsticks, so hold off on your table-top cover of ‘Wipeout’.

Never pass food with your chopsticks. Doing so reminds Asian people, particularly the Japanese, of the ritual of passing cremated bones between chopsticks at funerals. The same rule applies to sticking your chopsticks vertically into a bowl of rice, another symbol of death.

Here’s a few simple rules:

You wouldn’t do it with your fork, so don’t point your chopsticks at someone while talking.

Likewise, don’t play with your chopsticks or rub them together.

Chopsticks are for eating with, not for waving over food on the table or for pointing to your favourite dishes.

Lift food by gripping it with your chopsticks, not by stabbing it.

Don’t suck sauces off your chopsticks.