[Nyororin]

I`m going to jump in.
While I usually agree with MMM, and almost never agree with Tenchu (sorry :P ) I do have to say that MMM`s explanation is a bit too far removed from reality.
Like a romanticized version.

I think that people stick with chopsticks because it`s just easier to manipulate your food with them. You`re actually holding on to your food, and not balancing it (spoon) or stabbing it (fork).

It`s sort of like, say, a pen. Yes, there are pens that are truly works of art, which provide pleasure when you use them. But I think you`ll agree that 99.9% of the time, you`re not thinking about that while you use a pen. It`s an efficient writing implement - just as chopsticks are an efficient eating utensil. There is nothing particularly special about it, just as there isn`t anything special about using chopsticks to the average Japanese person. It`s only when it becomes something rare or ceremonial that all these meanings appear.

That`s why you`ll find tons of people in the US/elsewhere with all these deep interpretations. In modern Japan, chopsticks are the next step up from spoon and fork. Spoons and forks are easy to use, but sloppy. Children use them regularly.... Until they are old enough to manage chopsticks.
To go back to the pen idea - spoons and forks are crayons. Chopsticks are pens. Sure, you can write with a crayon... But except for special circumstances, once you can use a pen, would you *want* to?