One of better pieces of advice I was given before heading off to travel China was to bring my own chopsticks. This is not because China has a shortage of them, by any means. No, I was told to bring chopsticks because the majority of restaurants provide their guests with wooden chopsticks which are not thrown away after being used, but are washed and given to the next person who sits down to eat. The problem is that the nooks and crannies of cheaply made, wooden chopsticks are great places for germs to hide. Unless those chopsticks are thoroughly sanitized with copious amounts of steam or hot water, the last stranger to have inserted them into his mouth has probably left a few little surprises for you. Yum!
Of course, you can buy your own set of chopsticks at practically any street stall in China, but why not bring your own? Especially if they are as cool as the Flip Stick made by Brunton. As you can see by the above photo, the bamboo shaft folds nicely into a stainless steel handle for easy transport.
Of course, for the $20 they cost, you can hire your own Chinese peasant to personally hand feed you throughout your entire stay in China.
