Chopsticks Epiphany

A common gripe among foreiners living in Japan is that Japanese people frequently say something along the lines of “Wow, you’re pretty good at using chopsticks”. While it can be annoying to hear the same thing over and over again, and even if these words are sometimes ring as a canned compliment, sometimes the words are just a simple observation spoken out loud.
The way that I was taught (with tiny training chopsticks when I was 5 years old) was to grasp both chopsticks between the middle and index fingers as one would hold a pencil, with the tip of the index and the knuckle of the middle finger manipulating movement. What people don’t understand is that not all Japanese ever learned how to use chopsticks properly.
It’s not as obvious because you don’t see them yielding them in two hands like a pair of daggers, and they tend not to spear their food. Sometimes you can see younger people holding a pair like a pre-schooler first learns to grasp a crayon. They make it work, but all the same they do not qualify as being “good at using chopsticks”.
I think that this widely spoken observation also stems from difficulties encountered by some Japanese while using western silverware. I can’t express how confused I was when I first heard a long-time Japanese friend look me straight in the eye and said “Wow, you’re good at using the knife and fork, huh?” with a straight expression on her face.