Originally Posted by
WillCAD
I think OP was referring to travel chopsticks, which break down to a small size when not in use. Like these from Amazon:
Rosewood Foldable Wood Chopsticks with Carrying Pouch
I've had travel chopsticks in the past, both stainless and plastic, and have yet to find a pair I like. The ends all tend to be too blunt, and I can't get a good grip on food with them. If I could find a set with pointier ends, I'd probably buy a dozen sets.
EDITED TO ADD: I would imagine that wooden or bamboo chopsticks, especially those that break down for storage, wouldn't be prohibited items, since they're basically the same as pencils or pens with no lead or ink. But I searched the
TSA What Can I Bring? page for 'chopsticks', 'chop sticks', and 'chopstix' and got no returns on any of them, so it's not an explicitly allowed or prohibited item. What that means, alas, is that screeners have probably never been trained whether chopsticks are allowed or not, so it will be up to the infamous "individual discretion" whether your travel set is allowed. I'd recommend sticking with an inexpensive set that won't set you back much if it's compulsorily voluntarily surrendered. Which, unfortunately, is good advice for just about anything you carry with you when traveling by air, since both confiscation and theft are real possibilities.
Precisely because of the risk of a TSA staffer deciding on this day, in this airport, a fork/spoon/whatever is not allowed is why I don't invest in special utensils for travel. Having any of the items I take along confiscated (let's call it what it really is) would be nothing more than minor nuisance.
As for special chopsticks which break down into 2 pieces with their own carry case, well, when I occasionally put chopsticks in my bag, they are of the disposable wooden or bamboo type, 40 pairs for $5.00, on Amazon. They work just as well as the custom type.