I'm sure the article on waribashi made many of us feel guilty for all the times we've used them. Certainly the concept of always using your own hashi is a great contribution, not only assuaging our sense of guilt but also perhaps helping the forests that are being cut down to supply the wood.
As a longtime resident of Japan, I have had occasion to buy waribashi. However, I always made sure that I bought waribashi made from bamboo. Herein, as I see it, is the answer to the problem of wood for waribashi. Why are they not all made from bamboo? I'm sure cost has something to do with it, but bamboo is an environmentally friendly resource. Bamboo waribashi should be the norm when waribashi are considered necessary.
victoria oyama
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