How Do I Use A Knife And Fork?
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Learning to eat properly was a challenge in my house. My children had a hard time distinguishing between what to use a fork, and what to use a spoon for. Most of the time they just made everything finger food. Which was okay, until we ate out at a restaurant. Then some sort of table manners became very important. Here are a few tips to help you with your table etiquette.
Assuming you are right-handed, hold the fork in your left hand and knife in your right. With the tines facing downward (curving towards you), hold down an end-piece of whatever you are cutting (let’s assume it’s meat).
Do not hold the knife or fork like a dagger, but rather, place your index finger along the top of each utensil, holding each at the end.
Gently, using a sawing motion, cut the meat near the tines of the fork, so that you have one bite-sized piece.
Lay the knife down (without allowing it to touch the table), and switch the fork (complete with pierced meat) to your right hand.
Bring it up to your mouth, chew quietly, and swallow when the meat is sufficiently masticated.
This is called the American (or Zig-Zag) method of cutting food. The Continental (or European) method consists of not switching hands, and using the left hand for all fork-related activities.
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4 Comments
Bryan Price
July 26th, 2007
at 7:07pm
How do you use a knife and a fork? American or European?
tomfarley
July 27th, 2007
at 11:06am
Oddly enough, most left-handers (such as myself) hold the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right. I never switch hands. There is no need to. The website http://www.anythingleft-handed.co.uk/, reports that this is actually considered a right handed thing. The website is UK based, so that seems to support your observation that Europeans don’t switch hands.
Growing up, I always thought it was weird that right-handers switch the fork and the knife. It makes much more sense to me, if you’re right handed, to just keep the knife in your left hand.
Paul
August 17th, 2007
at 4:16am
Never knew their was an “American” and “European” way to use a knife and fork, I’m British no I am neither! ;) . I’m right-handed at everything apart from eating, unlike others I know.. Holding the fork in the right hand is natural to me, I tried with my left and It didn’t feel right at all, just like trying to write with my left hand.
Larry
July 17th, 2008
at 3:17pm
OK, but what if you are eating, let’s say, scrambled eggs, or anything else that you don’t need to cut? So, the question is: When you don’t need the knife, in what hand is correct to hold the fork? Thanks in advance!