High school to check if girls can use chopsticks as part of entrance exams
SASEBO, Nagasaki -- A girl's high school here will check if applicants can properly use chopsticks during its entrance examinations next year, officials said.
Officials of Sasebo Women's High School said that they wound like to see if applicants have acquired the minimum levels of eating manners by checking their use of chopsticks.
The high school plans to accept 40 first-year students in the spring of 2007 after it carries out two sets of entrance examinations. One course involves general tests of mathematics, the Japanese language and other subjects, while another course tries to accept recommended students through compositions and interviews.
Both examination courses involve whether they can use chopsticks properly.
The "chopstick inspections," which include picking up slippery beans, will influence the screening process to a certain degree, officials at the school said.
"We have never heard of such an examination," said an official with the Cabinet Office food education promotion center. (Mainichi)
I'm horrible at eating with my hands. I often crush finger foods like tacos, brittos, or fish sandwich by squeezing them too hard. I'm rather good with utensils.Mrjones said:In India people eat with hands... how good are you with your own hands
I think any school that denies someone an education based on their percieved social status is pretty sad... However, it's part and parcel in how the world works... The rich take power, the rich keep power, the rich never cede power to the poor.Not entirely different of "upper level" schools in the US using proper manners and etiquette as a rating system for students. It is not called an exam, but rather school orientations or visitation or career days. Similar ways are used to determine between job applicants...they just aren't publicized.
In India people eat with hands... how good are you with your own hands
It is indeed the parents' role to teach their children good manners and proper etiquette, not the school's. Here in Belgium, schools are more or less divided by social class, so that people who do not have the right manners and discipline usually get fired from "good schools" pretty quickly. There is no "test" except respecting the school rules, the teachers' demands on discipline and good behaviour, as well as peer pressure. This is as true for the way people dress.Hmm... I don't think that being able to use hashi (chopsticks) properly means the child belongs to better social class or anything. Any decent family should be able to teach their children how to use hashi properly, and not only that, but manners in general.
Recently it is becoming an issue that some parents do not teach their children any basics of life, i.e. eating cooked meal regularly, table manners, getting up in the morning and going to bed not too late, etc.
Chopsticks exam sounds a bit funny and I'm not particularly for it or against it, but I think it might be a good indication to see the upbringing the students.
I was going to say that, but I try to keep my exclusion-conspiracies to a minimum lately... It's better for my enthusiasm to study that way...Just a thought, but isn't this some sneaky way to try and discourage foreigners to enter the school? Wouldn't suprise me a bit!!
I remember eating at Chinese and Japanese restaurants in the states. I remember it was so fun to use the chopsticks. Many of the paper wrapping that covered the chopsticks had little pictures describing how to use them. 'Chopstick Use for Dummies'. Maybe this is what is needed in Japan.?
Wasn't there a issue a while ago at the combini's in Japan "deciding" not to give away free chopsticks anymore because of the massive deforestations in China? I never noticed a thing about it in Japan though.. Well, now I come to think of it, they do ask me first sometimes before giving me chopsticks, or is this just my imagination?This reminds me about the huges amonts of wood used for wooden chopsticks.
Wasn't there a issue a while ago at the combini's in Japan "deciding" not to give away free chopsticks anymore because of the massive deforestations in China? I never noticed a thing about it in Japan though.. Well, now I come to think of it, they do ask me first sometimes before giving me chopsticks, or is this just my imagination?
In a landmark step Mini Mart, a chain of convenience stores, has begun asking customers to pay four US cents for a pair of Japanese-made waribashi - the first company to do so in the highly competitive trade.
"The customers are given the choice of choosing free Chinese-made waribashi or paying for Japanese ones. On a good day we have about 20 people paying five yen [four US cents] for a pair at a store, which is less than 5% of the total number of customers," he explained.
Tellingly, other convenience stores have not followed suit.
That's what happening in China at the moment. During the Great Leap Forward (a horrible period of natural resource plundering in China) China was turned almost into a desert within a few years. To fight further deterioration giant reforesting programs have been set up.I have an idea: Plant more trees!