te" (History 1). Cedar, teak and sandalwood are also popular types of woods used in the construction of chopsticks, though there is growing environmental concern over the impact of the disposable chopsticks industry in Asia.
Over time, chopsticks spread to a variety of cultures and their design reflected their different uses. This included chopsticks made of stainless steel and brightly decorated and smaller designs meant for use by children. Chopsticks were also made in different sized for men and women in different cultures, like Japan. Other cultures brightly ornamented their chopsticks or applied various forms of coatings to them. Even disposable wood chopsticks were invented by the Japanese in 1878 (History 1). A high-tech form of plastic chopsticks has become popular in Asian restaurants in the United States. The following image and caption show the variety of chopstick designs and materials, across different cultures, genders and ages:
[From top to bottom: plastic ch
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