Chopstick Theory - Self Improvement During Dinner

You have a lot of time to think when you travel like this. Naturally, you will inevitably allow yourself to think about things that you never would have before. This has many benefits, the least of all of them being that I've come up with about 8 viable (to differing degrees) business ideas. With the exception of one, none would make me wealthy. That's not really the point is it. The majority of them would require little work after startup and allow me to be mobile. The fact that they'd provide a tiny income is not important. But all this is a topic of another post. The other benefits are small self and world revelations. I spent 30 minutes on a train of thought about chopsticks while I was eating the other day, but it was fun. Without hustle and bustle of daily routines and deadlines for this and that, you have all the time to think about things as silly as chopsticks. There's just some simple joy in that I think we all need.

I say train of thought but it was more like a revelation. Sure, it was a revelation that doesn't really have any significance, but like I said, simple joys, right. The revelation was this - chopsticks are the most advanced eating utensils ever invented. Not only that, but they are easier (and probably less expensive) to make than forks and spoons and the like. They can be made of wood, plastic, metal, ceramic, or some combination. No, they won't replace knives or spoons, and no, you wouldn't be able to eat a steak with them. However, that's irrelevant because you can cut up the meals before cooking, like in stir fry, or before eating, like steak strips. I am having trouble coming up with any paleo dish (except soup) that you can't use chopsticks for. But all the versatility and simplicity doesn't even factor into their inherent brilliance, nor does the fact that they enhance dexterity.
So, what makes them so advanced, we invented forks and knives for a reason right? I'm not going to pretend to know what spawned the invention of utensils. My totally uneducated guess is that utensils did not replace chopsticks. I think they were separated by vast distances with little or no knowledge of the other's existence. I bet utensils were the product of the metal ages and manners (and you can probably attribute christanity to it in some way as well).
The reason that chopsticks, which are just two sticks, are so advanced is that we are inadvertently working our mind through play. Next time you go to an Asian restaurant, watch how differently people eat. It's no longer poke, divide, devour; it's mix, add, divide, move, grab, eat, adjust, think, etc. We are playing chess with our food. Move that piece of chicken so that I can add an onion slice from here to it. That piece of broccoli is too awkward to add anything to, move it to a better angle to grab it, eat. See what I mean? You strategically, without even noticing it, eat your food. With fork and knife, that element is gone because it's so much easier. I'm sure we are all on board that play, especially involving strategy, is good for the mind. That's their brilliance.
Lastly, a little bit of you as a child is getting its revenge against your parents and that's always a guilty pleasure. It makes eating fun because you get to finally play with your food in a socially acceptable way.