"And there's the embarressment of not using chopsticks"

Nawchem, my DH is German, came of age in the 60s, not a lot of chopstick users in the native population of Germany at the time. But he was curious, and determined. He made himself an open faced sandwich - sturdy German bread, and liverwurst - cut it into small pieces, and practiced till he got it. The sandwich bits weren't slippery, or hard to get ahold of, and he did it where nobody could see or laugh. Today one has the added advantage of youtube. Use wooden chopsticks; they tend to grip better than plastic in my opinion. While it is awkward at the beginning - this is not the way Western fingers are used to using eating utensils - once over the hump it is surprisingly easy. Find something that suits your taste better than a liverwurst sandwich, and go for it. "Al dente" cauliflower or broccoli bits spring to mind, not slippery or smooth.