Spoon and Chopsticks

Sujeo consists of a spoon used to scoop up rice and a pair of chopsticks used to pick up side dishes. They were often made of wood, nickel, brass, gold, silver, or stainless steel. A spoon is a tool designed to scoop up liquid-based dishes. Spoons in the early Goryeo Dynasty had a deeply curved handle, while in the mid-Goryeo era, the handle was S-shaped in profile and its end resembled the tail of a swallow. In the early Joseon period, the swallow tail-shaped end disappeared and the handle became less curved. Chopsticks are made of two pieces of thin, long wood or iron of equal length, and widely used in the East. When a baby reaches the first birthday, parents would prepare a rice bowl and a set of spoon and chopsticks for the baby, signifying the beginning of a life. Accordingly, the expression, “To put down one’s rice spoon,” means that one’s life has come to an end. There is also an old saying that “If you grip the spoon handle far away from the spoon’s head, then you will marry into a family living far away from your home.” This was intended to keep young girls, who often gripped the end of the spoon handle, from spilling food.