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AFTER MANY A FLIP and a fumble (and a staggering laundry bill), the serviceman cultivates the knack of handling "Japanese silverware" – the chopsticks. Many embarrassing moments flower in the learning process, but practice and patience eventually bring their reward. And the GI's reward is a fabulous feeling of pride as he shovels rice and latches onto meat and vegetables with the best of them.

Wooden chopsticks, much like giant splinters, are often used by the Japanese. They are bought for practically nothing and after the meal can simply be thrown away. The more elaborate chopsticks, made of plastic or from cow's horns or horse's bones, are a bright addition to the Japanese dinner table. They come in violent and varied colors and some of them are beautifully designed with dragons and flowers.

The serviceman who follows the saying "When in Rome do as the Romans" soon becomes a close friend of the chopstick and a sorry stranger to the knife and fork.


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