Still Waters Posted March 13, 2013 #1 Share Posted March 13, 2013 A Chinese legislator who heads a forestry company has urged the country to save more trees by reducing the 80 billion pairs of disposable chopsticks it makes each year, state media say. China's chopstick production amounted to 20 million 20-year-old trees, enough to fill Tiananmen Square with 360 layers of the single-use utensil, the Xinhua state news agency cited him as saying. http://www.globalpos...-trees-lawmaker 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug1029 Posted March 13, 2013 #2 Share Posted March 13, 2013 Back in 1985 I was a forester in Durango, Colorado. Our district sold three million board feet of aspen each year to a manufacturer in Santa Fe who turned it into chopsticks for the Japanese fast-food market. A single 33 million-board foot sale supplied them for eleven years. They paid about $30,000 a year in stumpage, plus cutting and hauling costs. That's enough wood for 150 average-sized houses a year, or 1650 over the span of the sale. There's some serious volume involved. Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babe Ruth Posted March 13, 2013 #3 Share Posted March 13, 2013 I saw something on TV a few months back about a US company, perhaps in Georgia or Carolina, that almost exclusively provided wood for that purpose. It seems to me they actually took it down to the final product of chopsticks, and sent them to China. The company was doing very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHaYap Posted March 13, 2013 #4 Share Posted March 13, 2013 This is just PR for the new Central Committee, news is strictly bamboo is going to be used in the future, planning this for years, there will be protests by the 'wood' purists but I don't think they'll make much noise. Wood is just 'classier' than 'low class' bamboo and bamboo is by far the better material for disposable chop sticks 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lava_Lady Posted March 14, 2013 #5 Share Posted March 14, 2013 This is just PR for the new Central Committee, news is strictly bamboo is going to be used in the future, planning this for years, there will be protests by the 'wood' purists but I don't think they'll make much noise. Wood is just 'classier' than 'low class' bamboo and bamboo is by far the better material for disposable chop sticks I prefer the bamboo anyway. Doesn't have as much shavings that come off in your food. It's good to add fiber to your diet but c'mon!! Also, there was a news segment a few years ago here that showed how the wooden chopsticks were made and it pretty much horrified everyone at how filthy the conditions were where they made them and that we were putting them into our mouths... lol 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHaYap Posted March 14, 2013 #6 Share Posted March 14, 2013 I prefer the bamboo anyway. Doesn't have as much shavings that come off in your food. It's good to add fiber to your diet but c'mon!! Also, there was a news segment a few years ago here that showed how the wooden chopsticks were made and it pretty much horrified everyone at how filthy the conditions were where they made them and that we were putting them into our mouths... lol marketing propaganda take the worse there is and things couldn't be any worse, chopsticks, disposable or not is still the best with East Asian oriental food I hate eating my food off metal or from tin cans, porcelain ceramic or even just the humble banana leave is the best of good enough for lil ol' me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praetorian-legio XIII Posted March 14, 2013 #7 Share Posted March 14, 2013 Seeing how Oriental food is prepared in bite size morsels it only makes sense to use chopsticks. Not only are they an effient tool I think its fun to use them. Bamboo ones work for me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug1029 Posted March 14, 2013 #8 Share Posted March 14, 2013 I saw something on TV a few months back about a US company, perhaps in Georgia or Carolina, that almost exclusively provided wood for that purpose. It seems to me they actually took it down to the final product of chopsticks, and sent them to China. The company was doing very well. First they trim logs into blocks, then peel the blocks into plys on a lathe. Then they run the plys through a stamping machine that turns out finished chopsticks. Whole porcess is automated. They run everything through the process, then just throw out anything that doesn't make the grade, like knots, incipient decay, cross-grain, etc. Doug 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHaYap Posted March 14, 2013 #9 Share Posted March 14, 2013 that is what they call 'top dallar' chopsticks ... disposables though they may be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug1029 Posted March 15, 2013 #10 Share Posted March 15, 2013 I saw something on TV a few months back about a US company, perhaps in Georgia or Carolina, that almost exclusively provided wood for that purpose. It seems to me they actually took it down to the final product of chopsticks, and sent them to China. The company was doing very well. The US has a trade deficit with China, anyway, and we have huge surpluses of Grade 3 hardwood logs that could be easily turned into billions of chopsticks. Why don't they just buy them from us? Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babe Ruth Posted March 15, 2013 #11 Share Posted March 15, 2013 The US has a trade deficit with China, anyway, and we have huge surpluses of Grade 3 hardwood logs that could be easily turned into billions of chopsticks. Why don't they just buy them from us? Doug The piece I saw made it sound like these were shipped to China? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashotep Posted March 15, 2013 #12 Share Posted March 15, 2013 Anytime there is a demand for a wood product trees are going to die for it. Bamboo is a better choice and renews itself much faster. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lava_Lady Posted March 16, 2013 #13 Share Posted March 16, 2013 marketing propaganda take the worse there is and things couldn't be any worse, chopsticks, disposable or not is still the best with East Asian oriental food I hate eating my food off metal or from tin cans, porcelain ceramic or even just the humble banana leave is the best of good enough for lil ol' me Even if it is propaganda, I prefer the bamboo & I find it easier to use chopsticks, I use them to cook as well, obviously not for soup or anything like that but I think they're easier to eat with, especially salad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lava_Lady Posted March 16, 2013 #14 Share Posted March 16, 2013 Anytime there is a demand for a wood product trees are going to die for it. Bamboo is a better choice and renews itself much faster. Bamboo is a great replacement for all kinds of wood. Or makes great flooring too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spud the mackem Posted March 16, 2013 #15 Share Posted March 16, 2013 Has their technology not come up to using knives and forks ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Hammerclaw Posted March 16, 2013 #16 Share Posted March 16, 2013 Has their technology not come up to using knives and forks ? Are you kidding? They still write in pictographs. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug1029 Posted March 16, 2013 #17 Share Posted March 16, 2013 The piece I saw made it sound like these were shipped to China? The aspen I sold in Colorado went to Japan. But I find it easy to believe that China is also buying chopsticks from us. Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pallidin Posted March 17, 2013 #18 Share Posted March 17, 2013 I can just see trying to eat, say, jello or pudding with chopsticks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHaYap Posted March 17, 2013 #19 Share Posted March 17, 2013 I can just see trying to eat, say, jello or pudding with chopsticks. soft is easy ... it is the hard, small and smooth that is challenging, say ... peanuts, contests of chopstick mastery involves moving marbles from a bowl to another bowl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHaYap Posted March 19, 2013 #20 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Even if it is propaganda, I prefer the bamboo & I find it easier to use chopsticks, I use them to cook as well, obviously not for soup or anything like that but I think they're easier to eat with, especially salad. cake ..... eating cake with chopsticks is the best Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now