TIL about Muppet, Vulcan and Chicken Claws - different ways to hold chopsticks

I'm not convinced many of the grips pictured actually work to pick things up with the chopsticks, much less grip something weighty with them

I have a friend who uses the "beetle mandible" I can confirm that they struggle to pick up anything slightly heavier or less than optimally shaped or slippery.
- i want to try this tho. it looks like you're attacking the food idk
The blue ones all work, as does "chicken claws", the other five though, no. I do have big hands and am very used to chopsticks though.
I just tried all of them, and everything but the standard grip leaves my top stick flailing or with a very weak grip. I can’t imagine picking up anything heavy or very small with anything but standard..
A friend I once had used either the dangling claw or the muppet style. It was a big deal amongst our group of friends because it was so unusual to the rest of us. I distinctly remember her hand in a claw like position to hold the sticks, and we were all trying to imitate her style. She picked up her sushi just fine. Can't vouch for the others.

Right hand rule ftw. There was a buffet in my home town called Pi King. They had instructions on the sleeve. Took me a few tries but managed to pick it up as a kid

Looks like it would give better dexterity than the standard grip. I'll give it a try. I suck at chopsticks.
- Right hand rule I find the most comfortable, but standard grip allows you to manipulate both chopsticks, as opposed to the one being locked stationary and all the pressure coming from the other one. You know how sometimes the two sticks "twist" around the food? You can prevent that standard grip more easily.
This is what I use from picking them up as a kid and figuring out a way to do it. Has worked great on everything I’ve ever ate

Nose grip best grip

Going with the rest of the image, I'm naming this method The Indulgent Walrus
The Master of Comedy, Himself!
If you use this particular grip, please refrain from performing urubashi out of courtesy to the other guests.

Oddly, although I can use chopsticks to eat, I can not visualize what my grip is from these pictures. It's delegated entirely to my hand at this point and I don't think about it any more.

I just grabbed a couple pens off my table because it's become so second nature that I couldn't visualize how I hold them.

I don't think these are actually ways you're supposed to hold them.

Yeah, pretty sure everything apart from the standard grip are dysfunctions
- Idk what sick people invented standard grip and what kind of friction their fingers create for it to hold
  
  Righthand rule FTW!

As a Trekkie, I am very pleased to learn I use the “Vulcan” grip.

Live long and stuff your face.

With two hands

"The drummer"

I really struggled with chopsticks, until someone described it as holding a pencil, with another pencil above, pinching. From there, I was immediately able to use chopsticks.

I used to use righthand rule, which I naturally settled into and had absolutely no problems with, but then I was told I was holding my chopsticks wrong so I keep trying to do standard grip with mixed success. I think I'll just go back to righthand rule, which I feel gives me the best grip strength.

Chinese here. There's no right way to hold it, ignore whoever told you that. Whatever works for you is fine
- As a Chinese who does a bit of Wikipedia editing, there is a right way!1!! just that the wrong ways can also work but often work less well. For example, with this grip, your thumb and knuckles have to do a bit of extra force to rotate the sticks as the "levering point" is at the end of the chopsticks, which is quite far. Meanwhile, in standard grip, your middle finger (I just realized that it had to be that finger lol) acts as a "levering point" and significantly shorten the distance to your thumb and knuckles, resulting in a lot less force being needed.
I use righthand rule. I can pick up a single piece of rice or a pea on the first try so I fail to see how it can be "wrong".

As long as you're holding the back end, you're good 👍

fork please

weakling detected

I had a pair of chopsticks whose instructions ended with "now you can lift anything".

I wish I had kept those chopsticks.

I had a pair of those, too. They gave out after I'd only lifted three Ford Pintos over my head.

I asked the Chinese takeout for my money back, but they pretended not to understand me.

Nine thousand nine hundred and ninety nine more ways that I will absolutely fail at using chopsticks.

As someone who always struggles to use chopsticks, this was incredibly helpful and interesting!

I think I do righthand rule. I learned... Off of a package of chopsticks. An Asian friend told me he thinks it's how they teach kids to do it.

It works pretty well but I'll note it works better with longer chopsticks.

Standard Grip seems most comfortable to me. I saw it as instructions on the first pair I used. I wonder if the other grips help longer or shorter fingers.

I use Vulcan with the bottom chopstick between the pinky and ring fingers, I feel like it gives me more control and leverage than standard.

This is exactly what I do. I didn't find anything in the articles that showed that as a specific one.
I also use the Vulcan grip and feel like I can pick up anything. It's OP.

I use a fork. Just kidding somethings actually taste better with chopsticks like ramen.

What the fuck is wrong with the beetle mandibles people and how do we get them the psychological help they desperately need?

Right hand rule ftw. I learned that from a sweat old lady who was the Health Minister of Beijing. I trust in her wisdom.

Didn't even know there were other ways other than the finger pistol and right hand rule. Are they all even remotely even possible?

Finger Pistol Gang
- Bang bang gang

Standard grip. I wasn’t taught, though, I just figured it out – it was the most natural for me.

I sat here and tried all the other grips, and I can’t see how any of them can work. The top stick just flails about for me in all of them. Must have something to do with the way different muscles are used, and my finger muscles are trained for the one grip.

I’m curious to know whether people who are used to a different grip can’t control them in standard grip, too, if that makes sense. I didn’t realise there were so many ways to hold them.

I taught myself right hand rule, and it works great for me.

Scissorhand for me

What's the difference between the weak standard and the standard grips?

It appears to be how far back you hold the chopsticks. The weak standard grip holds them further back, which gives you less leverage at the tip.

The standard grip has the chopsticks held further down, with the back of them crossing when open.
- A-ha! Thanks.

Apparently I use the standard. Perhaps related to the fact that I use a big pair of chopsticks to flip deep-frying stuff, so I need a good grip.

big pair of chopsticks to flip deep-frying stuff,

100% this. I have a pair of metal chopsticks that I use exclusively for frying food, especially small, super sticky stuff like nan gua bing. Most wooden ones here (Germany) have some sort of artificial coating and I'm a bit worried about it melting or releasing chemicals when it gets too hot, so I don't want to dunk these into hot oil.
- That's sensible - wood varnish sometimes contains polyurethane, that decomposes into all sorts of aromatics and cyanides. The ones that I use are plain, no varnish.
  
  I often use them with stuff like croquettes and popcorn fried chicken. For bigger stuff like Berlin balls and coxinhas I find that it's simpler to use a fork and a mesh skimmer, it gives me more leverage.
- My regular eating chopsticks have a metal core and silicone coating. I love them because they’re heat safe and extra grippy. I have a long metal set for cooking, but I’ve used my silicone ones for cooking, too. I prefer them to wood because they’re easier to clean.

Live long and prosper, cheese bags!

I've always just held one stick in each hand and pick up the food long ways.

Weird. I do the beetle mandibles, but I just have the butt of the stick between the ring and middle finger instead of ending between the middle and index.

I use standard grip but the italian grip will have a special place in my heart

The blue ones all work, as does "chicken claws". the other five though, no.