Crack!

Snapping apart those disposable, wooden chopsticks is a familiar ritual before enjoying meals at Asian restaurants.

But sadly, it may come with a risk.

The Daily Meal recently brought to light the fact that disposable chopsticks are made by boiling them in toxic chemicals. Notice how all throwaway chopsticks are nearly uniform in color? That doesn't happen on accident; bleach and even preservatives are used in the manufacturing process.


A frightening concept given that China alone produces around 80 billion pairs of disposable chopsticks -- per year.

With such demand, quality control is often a low priority. Undoubtedly, chemicals leak out of the wood while you are eating -- particularly if you break one of the rules of chopstick etiquette and suck sauces off of your sticks.

The long-standing myth that disposable chopsticks are produced with scrap wood products just isn't true. In fact, an estimated 25 million mature trees are logged each year just to make chopsticks that are used once.

• See more about sustainable and responsible travel in Asia.

Some travelers have actually begun carrying their own sets of chopsticks when traveling in Asia. Unfortunately, the greenest and safest bet is to stick to using metal chopsticks -- Korea's preference -- but they can be quite weighty and slippery at times.

So do yourself -- and the earth -- a favor: decline those disposable chopsticks the next time you enjoy Chinese food. Bring your own clean set from home and wash them afterward.

• Learn the facts about MSG in Asian food.
• Is that Chinese food authentic or Americanized?