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The difference between the American and European styles has been used as plot point in fictional works, including the 1946 film O.S.S. and the 2014 series Turn:
by 3eb7988a1663 7mo ago
The difference between the American and European styles has been used as plot point in fictional works, including the 1946 film O.S.S. and the 2014 series Turn: Washington's Spies.[5] In both works, using the wrong fork etiquette threatens to expose undercover agents.
Nuts. Apparently I have been a German spy all this time. I don't have time to waste swapping a fork around.
- jacquesm 7mo agoBut can you pronounce 'Scheveningen'?
- mrkandel 7mo agoTarantino has a bit about it in inglorious bastards.
- 3eb7988a1663 7mo agoThe tell was not related to the cutlery, but counting on the fingers.
- lo_zamoyski 7mo agoAmerican zigzagging utensil acrobatics always seemed like a lot of nonsense to me. It looks bad and fiddly.
- pndy 7mo agoYou may "enjoy" this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1VRIEg2Xsw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1VRIEg2Xsw
- ghaff 7mo agoI’m not even sure what the technical etiquite is. As a right handed American it just seems more natural to have my knife in my right hand but if I’m just using a fork I tend to switch that to my right hand. Didn’t even think about it until right now.
- t-3 7mo agoI've always just done the cutting at the beginning of the meal then set the knife to the side. All of the etiquette patterns I've heard about seem wrong to me compared to just cut first and then put the knife down.
- jon_richards 7mo agoI was taught that’s old American from before knives were cheap. Originally you’d pass the knife. Strange that the wiki implies you set the knife down after each cut.
- ghaff 7mo agoSome people do that but it’s probably not the norm in general.
- herewulf 7mo ago"Nuts" is the correct expression to indicate that you are not a German spy as it is a very perplexing Americanism. Go to Germany and try using "Nüsse" as an interjection! See also: Bastogne.