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From the article: Etiquette dictates that we hold our fork in our left hand and our knife in our right - This is interesting, because I was taught to hold my fo
by ghshephard 11y ago
From the article: Etiquette dictates that we hold our fork in our left hand and our knife in our right - This is interesting, because I was taught to hold my fork in my left hand, knife in my right initially, but after cutting food, switch the fork to my right hand. A bit of googling shows this is not universal.
- eru 11y agoUS and European rules are different there, because Americans emigrated before European elites had settled on a standard. Yours seems to be the American standard. Oh, and in parts of Asia they eat with fork and spoon. Martin Luther famously complained about the then-new forks, since God had given every man hands after all, hadn't he?
- PakG1 11y agoYes, although such a silly rule isn't staying still. http://www.slate.com/articles/life/culturebox/2013/06/fork_and_knife_use_americans_need_to_stop_cutting_and_switching.single.html http://www.slate.com/articles/life/culturebox/2013/06/fork_a... I remember a story how the Nazis in WW2 would identify American spies in Germany by observing how they held and used their cutlery in restaurants. Sadly, I was unable to find the story just now.
- kijin 11y agoEuropean etiquette also dictates that you cut and eat one piece at a time instead of pre-cutting everything. So you'll need your knife throughout the dinner. No time to switch the fork to your right hand.
- david-given 11y agoYup, British person here. That's exactly how it works. We do eat one-handed, but it's typically an either/or thing, rather than switching from one to the other during the course of the meal. The US thing of cutting up all your food ahead of time before eating it is practically unheard of here, and the few times I've noticed people doing it it's always looked very strange.
- freshyill 11y agoDo people cut up all their food before eating it? That's something I would do for a child who isn't so handy with a knife and fork, but I don't think adults do it. Then again, nothing makes sense here anymore.
- elthran 11y agoI've always heard this about American dining, even to the point of being taught it by an "etiquette" trainer - I've never understood it either. The worst thing about this for me would be that it means your food would get colder quicker.