Have you ever noticed that your food tasted better after changing your tableware?
That doesn’t seem to be a mistake.
Several studies have reported that factors such as the size, shape, and color of the plate affect the impression of the food’s taste and satisfaction.
Furthermore, a study by Hung-Ming Lin and others from Ming Hsin University of Science and Technology in Taiwan has reported that the impression one has of a meal can change depending on the length of chopsticks used.
Their study found that when using short (19 cm) and long (23 cm) chopsticks, people chewed more with the long chopsticks, felt the food was tastier, and were more likely to want to buy and eat the same food again .
What is the reason for these effects?
Long vs. Short Chopsticks Does the length of chopsticks affect the taste of food?
Even if you’re feeling about as hungry as you are and eat the same amount of food, have you ever felt very satisfied?
We don’t always know exactly how much we’ve eaten.
So we tend to use other cues, like the size of our plate, to figure out how much we’ve eaten.
Even if the amount of food is the same on a large plate and a small plate , the food on the small plate will seem like more.
Plates aren’t the only things that can give you clues about how much you’ve eaten: other items include spoons, forks, straws, and chopsticks.
For example, it has been found that when you drink from a thicker straw than from a thinner one, you feel like you are drinking for longer, and when you eat from a larger spoon, the amount feels smaller and you end up overeating.
Although a few studies have been conducted on the utensils used to bring food to the mouth , little is known about the impact of chopsticks on eating .
Food not only plays an important role in people’s lives , but also has a significant impact on their health and subjective well-being.
Therefore, understanding the relationship between the physical characteristics of tableware and food intake is essential to inform improvements in tableware production and use.
The research team therefore focused on the length of chopsticks and examined their impact on psychological and behavioral aspects, such as the perceived deliciousness of food and the number of times one chews.
The participants in the experiment were 78 university students.
The researchers divided participants into two groups: those who used long chopsticks (23 cm) and those who used short chopsticks (19 cm), and asked them to eat rice (80 g).
After finishing the meal, we asked them to rate the rice’s aroma, stickiness, hardness, likability, and how much they would like to buy it if they were to buy it again.
We also considered the possibility that ease of use of chopsticks may affect the evaluation, so we also evaluated the ease of use of chopsticks.
So, does the length of the chopsticks make a difference in how tasty the rice is or how long it takes to eat?
Long chopsticks enhance the taste of food and increase purchasing desire of products
The results of the experiment showed that people who used long chopsticks perceived the rice to be more delicious and were more likely to want to buy the chopsticks again .
Next, it has been found that people take longer to finish eating their food and chew it more frequently when using long chopsticks compared to when using short chopsticks .
This is thought to be because longer chopsticks make eating more difficult, but users did not feel that the length of the chopsticks caused any inconvenience or made them any easier to use.
The research team stated that the main reason why using longer chopsticks made rice taste better was because of this “change in meal time.”
With longer chopsticks, people eat at a slower pace, savoring the food more thoroughly, which makes the rice taste better.
These results suggest that just as other tableware influences the dining experience, chopsticks also have the effect of changing the sense of taste and satisfaction with a meal.
After some research, we found that the chopsticks we receive at convenience stores and supermarkets are usually around 19-20 cm long.
Instead of using these short chopsticks, you may be able to increase your meal satisfaction by carrying your own 23 cm chopsticks with you at all times.
When restaurants serve long chopsticks, diners are satisfied with smaller portions.
A limitation of this study is that participants only ate 80 g of rice with chopsticks, so it is unclear whether a similar phenomenon would occur in real-life eating and drinking situations.
To answer this question, Heung-min and his team conducted an eight-week experiment at a popular Chinese restaurant in Taiwan that has been in business for over 15 years.
During the experimental period, diners were randomly offered either short (19 cm) or long (23 cm) chopsticks at lunch and dinner serving time.
We also measured the weight of the food before and after it was served to see whether the length of chopsticks used during meals affects diners’ eating behavior.
The results of the experiment showed that customers who used long chopsticks ate at a slower pace and felt satisfied with a smaller portion of food .
These results suggest that using long chopsticks allows people to be satisfied with a smaller amount of food, which may help prevent overeating .
The research team stated the following in response to the results:
“Overeating can lead to obesity and other health problems. Our results suggest that using long chopsticks can be a practical way to control food portion size and prevent overeating.”
“For example, restaurants may be able to serve customers longer chopsticks, allowing them to satisfy themselves with smaller portions of food . And people who want to lose weight may be able to reduce their overall intake by using longer chopsticks with their daily meals.”
These results provide evidence that the effect of long chopsticks in improving the eating experience works in real-life situations, and suggest that using long chopsticks may help with weight loss.
If you are on a diet and have read this article, why not consider purchasing your own pair of chopsticks that are longer than the ones you normally use ?