Illustration: Luo Xuan/GT

As a Chinese, I have been a clumsy chopstick user all my life, and I was not ashamed to admit it until I met some master laowai chopstick users.

Once I was at dinner at a Sichuan restaurant with some Chinese and expat friends, and I was amazed by how well they used chopsticks. One of the Americans even skillfully divided the fish up for us. He picked up chunks of the fish with his chopsticks and put some on each of our plates. The fish chunks were slippery and in all sorts of shapes. However, he quickly divided it up without even dripping any of the sauce on the table.

He told me that he taught himself when he first arrived in China three years ago. But now he is more comfortable with chopsticks than with a knife and fork. After living here for a couple of years, many laowai can efficiently use chopsticks.

It made me wonder if I am the worst chopstick user in the world. I thought at least I am better than people from non-Asian countries.

Watching Western TV dramas, most foreigners I saw depicted were terrible with chopsticks. They used the chopsticks awkwardly, and it seemed as if they were not picking up the food with the chopsticks but simply using them like a shovel.

But as more foreigners come to live in China, many expats are starting to use chopsticks better than some locals.

In a Chinese household, children are usually taught to use chopsticks instead of spoons around the age of three.

My parents were patient with me and taught me all the tricks. They encouraged me and praised me when I made improvements. But I was a disappointment. I kept dropping the chopsticks, and I held my fingers too close to the end where you pick up the food. I could pick up vegetables and pieces of meat, but not meatballs.

I felt bad watching my cousins showing off how they picked up peanuts without any trouble.

So I made up my mind recently to learn how to use chopsticks perfectly. After practicing and watching a couple of videos online, mostly made by foreigners from non-Asian countries to teach other foreigners, I'll have to admit I feel more confident now.

Now I know why chopsticks are so wonderful. They are the most versatile utensil ever.

With a pair of chopsticks, you can pick something up, regardless of its shape, poke it, hold it and even cut it. It's a fork, a knife, a whisk and tongs all in one.

But they are only useful when you master the skills of how to use your strength, where to put your fingers and which angles work the best with different types of food.

This article was published on the Global Times Metropolitan section Two Cents page, a space for reader submissions, including opinion, humor and satire. The ideas expressed are those of the author alone, and do not represent the position of the Global Times.