In my pre-vegetarian days I always ate bacon with my fingers.
Fries: usually with a fork, occasionally with my fingers.
Cutting up the entire piece of steak before eating: I’ve lived in the USA my whole life and never seen a grown man or woman do this, so this thread surprises me a bit.
The only time I eat fries with a fork is when I’m really hungry and want to shovel a whole pile into my mouth without looking too uncivilized. I’ll stab as many as my fork will allow. Typically to shove that many into my mouth with my hand would look pretty disgusting
(Some might argue shoveling that many fries into my mouth regardless of means is disgusting. I say, hey, at least I’m using a fork.)
If I’m at home alone, everything becomes finger food if it’s fighting me too much. Sometimes it’s just a hybrid: I use the side of my finger to push the last bit of noodles onto my fork. ::belch!:: It’s not something I’m proud of.
If I’m out somewhere with non-family members, I often wait to see what someone else does with his bacon, then I may well follow his lead. I don’t have the courage of my bacon convictions, I’ll admit.
Fries are always finger food, unless it’s with co-workers and you order an appetizer of chili/cheese-covered fries, in which case I only use my fingers if the crowd establishes that this is the ruling convention at that meal. I’m quite the follower when it comes to certain matters of etiquette. I always extend my pinkies when I take a slurp from a bowl, however; so I should definitely get points for that.
I only eat fries with my fingers when I’m at a fast food place that typically offers no flatware. Otherwise I eat it with a fork becuase I don’t like getting all the grease, salt, and whatever topping I may have all over my fingers. I usually use a lot of napkins at a fast food joint because of this.
So I wonder why I’ve always eaten bacon with my fingers?
Bacon = fingers. Period. I don’t care what it’s wrapped around…fingers.
Fries = fingers. The only exception is chili cheese fries from The Hat in Montclair, which weigh 3 lbs. and would give a gorilla cardiac arrest. Those I eat with a fork.
Of course, I also usually eat without shifting my fork, either. Never saw why we 'Merkins do that. Damned inefficient if you ask me.
No, it just means your eating cold steak. Which I guess is pretty unsophisticated.
At a guess, to keep the steak hot; the increased surface area of a cut steak will make it cool faster. Me, I just microwave it if it gets cold.
For me fries and bacon are not only finger food, I had no idea anybody did it differently.
Yes ! It’s not ribs if you don’t gnaw the flesh from the bone ! Now I’m hungry…
First time I ever had fish & chips, Gibralter 1959, I was quite surprised to discover that “chips” were french fries (that’s how I’ve managed to remember such a trivial incident for so long). These were served in a kind of cone made of newspaper and were sprinkled w/ vinegar and salt. It was a sidewalk shop as I recall and I ate the meal w/ my fingers while walking and enjoying the sights.
Actually, it breaks a rule of etiquette to cut an entire piece of meat at one go.
The thought of applying a fork or knife to a strip of bacon has never occurred to me.
Well, at least that’s a reasonable explanation. It sure beats “because that’s what you’re supposed to do.”
You must remember that the British are terribly melodramatic (my parents are both English). Clearly people who consider utensils an object of shock, horror and sadness do not have real problems to address or need lessons in setting priorities.
Eating hamburgers with a knife and fork may seem silly. I’d never do it. But if it makes you happy, do it with my blessing.
Canada has a fair number of British traditions. Here, fries seem to be eaten with the fingers in fast food restaurants but with the fork when served on a plate in a marginally classier place, or at home. Bacon tends to be eaten with a fork. Ribs, hamburgers and chicken wings are definite finger foods. Pizza can go both ways, but young folks tend to use their hands while village elders make clucking noises.
Ugh, I think I need to lie down for a while :(.
I eat fries with my fingers if they have stuff on them; vinegar or chili or in poutine. I never eat bacon with my fingers unless I’m snitching it from my son’s plate. I have to tell you, the little rat is fast, so it’s usually the opposite happening.
Canadian, if that makes any difference.
You, or the bacon? 
Fries, bacon, ribs, chicken with bones, asparagras (miss manners aproves of this last one)=fingers always. I loved Indonesia, everything is finger food there. Since our extended visit we now have the ability to eat even sticky rice by hand, yummm. We don’t need no stinkin’ utensils. 
I even eat salad by hand now, one leaf at a time, with dressing to dunk on the side.
Sigh, I will never be an American Princess. 
I don’t eat breakfast out with other people much. My family (until a recent change of events) were all English, so I never had an opportunity to breakast with Americans.
Limp and forkable (but you can slide the crisp sort between the tines), but it is a different cut - much leaner.
Or utilize a spot of hyperbole in good-natured fun.
Most of the people I know like the crisp shoestring french fries. That leaves the question of a fork being used a mute point. The tines are not going through one of those easily. I supose you guys could use a salad tongs if you like.
Bacon and fries are not finger food for me unless i am in the car and it is McDeath fries from the garbagefood store of the golden arches … and since they have a serious laxitive effect, i minimize the contact I have with McDeatfries …
I use fork in left hand and knife in right and they stay there. The cut and switch is a victorian era american table manners affectation … or at least so I have heard.
Hm, I dont eat ribs in a ‘formal’ setting, just BBQ joints and they are finger food to me. Some stuff off a chinese buffet is fingrfood. I eat pizza and burgers by finger/hand.