Chopsticks

Last night Sam and I went to dinner with a couple of chinese friends.  We ate one of my favorite meals, just sauteed vegtables and rice.  Sam didn't finish his rice (he says its too filling) and he stuck one of his chopsticks straight into the rice while he was talking.  Then he left it there.  The girl sitting next to me was obviously disturbed by Sam's chopstick (he only put one in) standing straight up in his rice.  She quickly told Sam it was bad luck to do that and Sam's reply was "It's okay I don't care about luck".  So, I said to Sam "Yeah but it's also rude so please don't disturb our friend."  He took out his chopstick with a smile.  I've learned a few things about chopsticks lately that have to do with superstition.  My Chinese teacher told me if you drop one of your chopsticks then your friend needs to quickly hit you to counteract the bad luck.  She also told me about some strange ritual people used to do with chopsticks that was supposed to lengthen a loved ones life by one year while shortening your own by three years.  While we don't care for superstitions its good to be familiar with the culture of the country you live in.  I'm just happy no one here says "God bless you" when someone sneezes.