Chop Sticks

Ever since my kids watched Kung-fu Panda, they've wanted to try Chinese food and eating with chopsticks. This is difficult in small town Montana, where there's not a single Chinese person, much less a Chinese restaurant. There was no way we were going to take them out to a Chinese restaurant in town. I'm sure you can imagine the scene we would have created-- my four crazy kids in a normally quiet setting, stabbing their food with sticks. Yeah, I decided to pass on that one.

Now, living in a city, things are so different. On Friday night, when I asked Nathan what he wanted for dinner (no, I didn't already have it made when he got home, as I usually would), he suggested Chinese takeout. YES! Good food. I didn't have to cook, and the kids would be delighted, not that I expected them to eat anything-- especially Mazie, who complains about everything I put on the table.

Of course, I picked the one Chinese restaurant that doesn't give out wooden chopsticks free with your meal. They have plastic ones for $1 a set. Fine. I bought five sets, thinking that Josie wouldn't really need any. We ordered Beef & Broccoli, Sesame Chicken, Chicken Chow Mien, and egg rolls. The Chicken Chow Mien from this particular restaurant wasn't great, but the Sesame Chicken was AWESOME, and the Beef & Broccoli was good, too.

When I asked Nathan if he wanted to eat with chopsticks he looked at me like I was crazy. He was in it for the food, not the cultural experience. The kids did surprisingly well with the chopsticks, and they loved it. Mazie even ate the food without much complaining. Ethan loved the beef. None of them liked the Sesame Chicken, which left more for Nathan and I. Dylan was determined to eat everything with chopsticks only, and he did.Of course, Josie wasn't going to be left out! She told us plainly that she wanted some, and had a great time. Good thing I bought five sets!Personally, I have only used chopsticks a few times, but on Friday night I did eat the whole meal with them, and was satisfied that I could do it at a restaurant without making a complete fool of myself.

My sister, who loves Chinese food, called during dinner. When I told her we were having Chinese takeout, she said, "Hey, I want to come to your house!" Anytime, Janae!