On the stick
Want to spend 2 cents on something useful? Buy disposable wooden chopsticks in colorful paper wrappers by the hundreds. For about $1.99 you can get 100 in a single package, and then they're always on hand if you're throwing a party for a crowd, need a pair to finish up last night's Chinese food carryout, or just want to take your time eating dinner by savoring it with chopsticks.
The disposable kind are attached at the top and have to be separated gently before using. Pry them apart by pushing the sticks in opposite directions. Snap! Now take one in each hand and with the part of the chopstick that will touch your food, rub the sticks together in a criss-cross fashion to get rid of any loose splinters.
Disposable chopsticks are available in packages of 100 at Reliable Market, 45 Union Square, Somerville, 617-623-9620; New York Oriental, 355 Fresh Pond Pkwy., Cambridge, 617-868-9850; and Super 88 stores.
