"suds" > wrote in message
...
>I have always been told that what you say is true in Japan. As for China,
>I have very little information other than the occasional movie, where there
>is a mixture of what you have been told and the big ceramic or plastic
>spoon. Ang Lee's famous "Eat Drink Man Woman" (unsure of the exact title)
>shows the family using chopsticks and the big spoons.

<snip>

The spoon is used to sip the broth - it is also used to support the noodles
as they are "slurped" using the chopsticks. The "slurping' as we call it
has several effects. Please note the clear broths or broth with very few
ingredients are sipped directly from the bowl.

1. Like sucking air through a good wine in the tasting process it allows
the pallet to savor the flavor of the broth.
2. Generally the temperature of the noodle soups are much hotter than the
American pallet is accustomed to and the "slurping" tends to cool the
temperature of the noodles.
3. Supporting the ends of the noodles or other ingredients keeps then
from splashing all over your clothes.


--
Old Scoundrel

(AKA Dimitri)