is this true about US forking habits?

Wayne Boatwright wrote in
6.120:

Oh pshaw, on Sun 18 Nov 2007 05:00:17a, Mike.. meant to say...

BBC London (a local station staffed mainly by idiot presenters
interested only in celebrity trivia and themselves, not to be
confused with things like Radio 4 or BB1 and 2) just said that the
(alleged*) US habit of cutting up food first with the knife then
eating with a fork only originated in the poverty of western settlers
who only had one knife in the family, sounds as likely as William
Tell to me, what do those of you in a position to know think?

* i dont recollect seeing any americans doing it and some deny it
exists

I was taught to cut one bite of food (fork in left hand, knife in
right hand), place the knife on the edge of the plate, switch the fork
to the right hand and eat the food. This was to be done in repetition
for each bite one must cut. Everyone in my family eats this way, as
do most of the people I know. This I know as "American Style".

I have also seen people hold the fork in the left hand and the knife
in the right hand thoroughout the meal, cutting pieces as they eat and
not switching the fork from hand to hand. This I know as "European
Style".

Either American or European style are considered correct.

Having said that, I have seen some people in restaurants cut up every
bite of food all at once, put the knife down and the proceed to eat.
Occasionally they will use the knife to help "scoop" something onto
their fork. I was taught that this was bad manners.

I would call that "children's style" :-)

Another strange variation I have seen on occasion is holding both the
knife and fork almost straight up in a fist like grasp. There are
some appalling eaters here. :-)

I have lived my entire life in the USS and have never heard this
"theory" about the reason for cutting up all of one's food at once. I
was only taught that it was improper.

You might find this interesting...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fork_etiquette

It's elitist nonsense IMO. I was taught "European Style" as you put it.
But many people in the UK wouldn't bother with a knife at all unless the
fork wasn't up to the cutting task - simply holding the fork in the
right hand throughout. That's what I do. As a young child I would also
do this only after ditching the knife, I would continue to hold the fork
in my left hand. My mother told me that was wrong. Groan.

--
Adrian

Remove packaging and take out insurance before emailing me

Adrian Tupper surprised us with

It's elitist nonsense IMO

You only say that because the elite wouldn't let you join.

--
*** Waldo ***
A penny saved is ridiculous.

I was taught to cut one bite of food (fork in left hand, knife in right
hand), place the knife on the edge of the plate, switch the fork to the
right hand and eat the food. This was to be done in repetition for each
bite one must cut. Everyone in my family eats this way, as do most of the
people I know. This I know as "American Style".

I ran afoul of this tradition when eating with my mother and her new husband
one day. He became incensed (yes! angry!) that I was eating in the European
Style and demanded that I change to the American Style. Astounded, I
replied to him that I was eating the way I was because I am left-handed! How
silly would it be for a left-handed person to attempt to eat with a right
hand simply to be thought of as eating "American Style"? He, however,
insisted that I was "un-American" and "not patriotic". I still shake my
head at the remembrance of that. And I still eat in my left-handed
fashion.....

"Waldo Centini" wrote in message
...
Adrian Tupper surprised us with

It's elitist nonsense IMO

You only say that because the elite wouldn't let you join.

That's because he won't wear a tie{;-)
Graham

On Sun, 18 Nov 2007 12:41:52 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
wrote:


I have also seen people hold the fork in the left hand and the knife in the
right hand thoroughout the meal, cutting pieces as they eat and not
switching the fork from hand to hand. This I know as "European Style".

Either American or European style are considered correct.

Having said that, I have seen some people in restaurants cut up every bite
of food all at once, put the knife down and the proceed to eat.
Occasionally they will use the knife to help "scoop" something onto their
fork. I was taught that this was bad manners.

Another strange variation I have seen on occasion is holding both the knife
and fork almost straight up in a fist like grasp. There are some appalling
eaters here. :-)

I have lived my entire life in the USS and have never heard this "theory"
about the reason for cutting up all of one's food at once. I was only
taught that it was improper.

You might find this interesting...


Sometimes people just use the fork as both a fork and knife as well.
Doesn't work well with meat but does with other food. Another
interesting tidbit is that, during WWII, America put some spies in
Europe that were native speakers of the countries they were sent to.
They would look to see how people ate and grabbed those that used the
fork and knife American style.

Mike.. wrote:
BBC London (a local station staffed mainly by idiot presenters
interested only in celebrity trivia and themselves, not to be confused
with things like Radio 4 or BB1 and 2) just said that the (alleged*)
US habit of cutting up food first with the knife then eating with a
fork only originated in the poverty of western settlers who only had
one knife in the family, sounds as likely as William Tell to me, what
do those of you in a position to know think?

* i dont recollect seeing any americans doing it and some deny it
exists

I don't know the history but it sounds improbable - but then, what do I
know? I can and do eat either way but my preference is English-style.
I was taught "elbows at sides, not sticking out, use the knife if
necessary to push the food onto the fork (e.g., mashed potatoes) tines
down If I wanted to take a break, put the knife and fork down on the
plate at an angle - since if put in the 6 o'clock position and eatng in
a restaurant, the waiter would whisk away the plate.

Eating American-style is, as you say, laborious at times but handy at
others; e.g., eating pie or cake. It's boring to eat a steak or any
other meat and have to keep switching back and forth. When I first
came to the US my husband tried to get me to switch entirely, since he
said that putting the fork in my mouth tines down English-style is
considered bad manners in the US.

At least I'm glad I don't live in the Middle East and scoop up my food
one-handed.

Dora

Sacha wrote:
On 18/11/07 12:00, in article
, "Mike.."
wrote:

BBC London (a local station staffed mainly by idiot presenters
interested only in celebrity trivia and themselves, not to be
confused with things like Radio 4 or BB1 and 2) just said that the
(alleged*) US habit of cutting up food first with the knife then
eating with a fork only originated in the poverty of western
settlers who only had one knife in the family, sounds as likely as
William Tell to me, what do those of you in a position to know think?

* i dont recollect seeing any americans doing it and some deny it
exists

Don't know about the origins but I've seen many Americans do it. In
fact, I thought it originated here when people used their dagger to
cut meat and then spear it, then cleaned it, so that it could be used
for its intended purpose, if need be!
Isn't the fork a comparatively recent invention?

That's funny, Sacha, that they would clean a dagger of food before they
stabbed someone. Seems as though they'd be delighted to infect the
wound at the same time!

On Sun, 18 Nov 2007 12:07:42 GMT, "Brian Reay" wrote:

...the (alleged*)
US habit of cutting up food first with the knife then eating with a
fork only originated in the poverty of western settlers who only had
one knife in the family....

* i dont recollect seeing any americans doing it and some deny it
exists

I've heard the same story from Americans.

There are a very few people who eat that way. Occasionally there is a letter to
a newspaper advice columnist asking hot to deal with a boyfriend who has that
habit, etc.

I've also noticed the practice is common in the USA. Some years back (in
the 1980s when I travelled to the USA a lot), someone at the next table said
"Excuse me, are you English?". When I answered and asked what had given me
away, it was the fact that I was eating with a knife and fork.

More likely it was that you kept the fork in the left hand the entire time. Many
Americans tend to switch hands, holding the fork in the left hand for cutting,
then putting down the knife and swapping the fork to the right hand for
shoveling.

-- Larry

"pltrgyst" wrote in message
...
I've also noticed the practice is common in the USA. Some years back (in
the 1980s when I travelled to the USA a lot), someone at the next table
said
"Excuse me, are you English?". When I answered and asked what had given
me
away, it was the fact that I was eating with a knife and fork.

More likely it was that you kept the fork in the left hand the entire
time.

Hence my expression "with a knife and fork"

Many
Americans tend to switch hands, holding the fork in the left hand for
cutting,
then putting down the knife and swapping the fork to the right hand for
shoveling.

It is actually a very practical technique which I adopt for food that need
little, or no, cutting.

All this business of cutlery use and special cutlery apparently came into
existence in Victorian times as a "status" thing. I see no logic in
"filling" a soup spoon by dipping the far edge into the soup but a dessert
spoon by dipping the near edge. Ditto the direction of tipping the bowls.

--
73
Brian, G8OSN
www.g8osn.org.uk

Waldo Centini wrote:
Adrian Tupper surprised us with

It's elitist nonsense IMO

You only say that because the elite wouldn't let you join.


Why would he want to join any group that would have him?