For our Japanese readers : Things you should not say to Westerners

[Mike Cash]

Being asked about chopsticks isn't offensive...it's baffling, irritating, odd, and lots of other things....but it isn't offensive.

The reason it's odd is because 90% of the time you get asked this question is outside of dining situations and is therefore not relevant to anything. If it were during a meal, then the message of the question would be "I am asking out of kindness and trying to help you enjoy your meal." But when just asked out of the blue the message is "I consider you an oddity and am asking you questions to safisfy my own morbid curiosity."

I also think it is perfectly fine to strike up a conversation with a random stranger....if you have something to say. Where so many people make their social faux pas is by prefacing their conversation with "Can I practice my English on you?"

[Maciamo]

Being asked about chopsticks isn't offensive...it's baffling, irritating, odd, and lots of other things....but it isn't offensive.

The reason it's odd is because 90% of the time you get asked this question is outside of dining situations and is therefore not relevant to anything. If it were during a meal, then the message of the question would be "I am asking out of kindness and trying to help you enjoy your meal." But when just asked out of the blue the message is "I consider you an oddity and am asking you questions to safisfy my own morbid curiosity."

That is justly because it is asked so often when it's not relevant to anything that it makes it (slightly) offensive. The first few times you find it baffling or odd, but once you expect it because most Japanese ask this to foreigners sooner or later, you come to think of it as annoying, irritating or even offensive, especially when it is followed by "oh really, you are not Japanese and you can use chopsticks ! sugooooii neee !" (=> that is really offensive and I have heard it dozens of times).