() is the Korean term for the set of eating utensils commonly used to eat

Korean cuisine Korean cuisine is the set of foods and culinary styles which are associated with Korean culture. This cuisine has evolved through centuries of social and political change. Originating from ancient Prehistoric Korea, agricultural and nomad ...

. The word is a

portmanteau In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.

of the words (, '

spoon A spoon (, ) is a utensil consisting of a shallow bowl (also known as a head), oval or round, at the end of a handle. A type of cutlery (sometimes called flatware in the United States), especially as part of a table setting, place setting, it ...

') and (, ' chopsticks'). The set includes a pair of metal (often

stainless steel Stainless steel, also known as inox, corrosion-resistant steel (CRES), or rustless steel, is an iron-based alloy that contains chromium, making it resistant to rust and corrosion. Stainless steel's resistance to corrosion comes from its chromi ...

) chopsticks with an oval or rounded-rectangular cross-section, and a long handled shallow spoon of the same material. One may use both at the same time, but this is a recent way to eat quicker. It is not considered good

etiquette Etiquette ( /ˈɛtikɛt, -kɪt/) can be defined as a set of norms of personal behavior in polite society, usually occurring in the form of an ethical code of the expected and accepted social behaviors that accord with the conventions and ...

to hold the spoon and the chopstick together in one hand especially while eating with elders. More often food is eaten with chopsticks alone. Sometimes the spoon apart from chopsticks is referred to as ''sujeo''. Chopsticks may be put down on a table, but never put into food standing up, particularly

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

, as this is considered to bring bad luck since it resembles food offerings at a grave to deceased

ancestors An ancestor, also known as a forefather, fore-elder, or a forebear, is a parent or ( recursively) the parent of an antecedent (i.e., a grandparent, great-grandparent, great-great-grandparent and so forth). ''Ancestor'' is "any person from w ...

. The spoon may be laid down on the rice bowl, or soup bowl, if it has not been used. As food is eaten quickly, and portions are small, little time is spent in putting eating utensils down. Cases for ''sujeo'' in paper or Korean fabrics were often embroidered with symbols of longevity and given as gifts, particularly at weddings. They are now sold as souvenirs.

References

Food preparation utensils Korean cuisine Korean food preparation utensils Eating utensils {{cooking-tool-stub

See also

References