By Rebecca Hugh
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- Paige Ramsey-Hamacher, Director of the Multicultural and International Service Office (MISO), lead a number of interested participants in the challenge.
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- Students had exactly one minute to pick and choose from jelly beans, skittles, M&M’s, and other treats before the challenge could begin.
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- Sophomores Sharese Hamm and Jailene Jeantilus, both criminal justice majors, rose to the challenge.
Challenge accepted! As a part of international education week, the Multicultural and International Service Office (MISO) and the Intercultural Student Association (ISA), hosted the “chopstick challenge.”
On Nov. 18, students gathered in the SCC Dining Hall Lobby to try and pick up as much candy as possible only using chopsticks. In between the hours of 11:30am-2pm, students had the option of choosing among different bowls of candy. Those eight bowls were filled with all sorts of sweet treats such as jelly beans, skittles, dark chocolate M&M’s, regular M&M’s, peanut butter M&M’s, peanut M&M’s, Mike and Ikes, and Hot Tamales.
Paige Ramsey-Hamacher, Director of the Multicultural International Service Office, was the one who ran, and oversaw the running of the event. Her presence made the challenge feel less intimidating, and she also provided an educational background to the use of the tool. Overall, the purpose of this program was to introduce and bring awareness to other cultures around the world, specifically, Asian culture.
“The chopstick challenge was not as easy as I expected. I ended up making a mess of the place, but I still had fun and I’m happy I tried it,” said Damoi Williams, a senior, majoring in computer informational systems (CSI) and minoring in marketing.
The art of using chopsticks is quite difficult, and its origins can be traced back to at least 1200 B.C. According to History.com, the Chinese were the first to design chopsticks, but their use became prominent across the Asian continent. Chopsticks were mainly used for cooking; to reach deep into boiling pots of water or oil. But, it was not until 400 A.D. that people started to use chopsticks as utensils.
“Well, I failed at using chopsticks. It was very hard, as well as an interesting experience. But, great reward, THE CANDY!” said Maeisha Mcdermott, a sophomore majoring in biomedical and health sciences.
Not only did students learn how to use the Asian utensil, but they were also rewarded for their effort. Students were only allowed one minute each to grab as much candy as possible using the chopsticks. Even though students had difficulty using the chopsticks, scooping up candy was NOT allowed. However, most enjoyed the challenge of the event and the difficulty of the task made the game even more exciting.
