For me it generally depends on what the fries come with. If I’m eating a sandwich that comes with fries, I won’t pick up a fork for them. If the meal is something I’m already using a knife and fork for, I’ll spear the fries. I’m more likely to use a fork if the fries are particularly goopy for some reason like errant gravy or a drippy burger.
I’m Canadian and I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone eat fried bacon strips with their fingers unless it was stolen from someone else’s plate. It’s too greasy to be finger food. This is the first time I heard that it would be common for people to eat it that way. I don’t even remember ever seeing anyone eat it that way on TV or in movies. It can be hard to cut but it’s better to deal with that on the plate than with your teeth and wind up with a strip of fat hanging on your chin.
Fries always depends on what they’re served with, where, how big they are and what’s on them.
I think it’s mainly that when someone prepares and serves a dinner, presentation is a big part of it and if people at the table chop up all their food and create a big goulash on their plate it defeats the purpose of serving it intact. Not even just that it will get cold, but if eating was all about the most convenient and economical way to get everything shoveled down you might as well just throw it all in a food processor and serve it with a spoon. If you’re just eating at home, it’s fine if you like to cut it all up at the table instead of the kitchen, but if you are out where someone else made your dinner for you, it’s polite to show appreciation for how it was prepared and presented. It’s the same as not picking all the cashews out of your salad and stirring them into your mashed potatoes or pouring some wine on your chicken to make an impromtu sauce. Once it’s on the table it’s done and you are supposed to not meddle with it any more than is strictly necessary.
I think it’s mainly that when someone prepares and serves a dinner, presentation is a big part of it and if people at the table chop up all their food and create a big goulash on their plate it defeats the purpose of serving it intact. Not even just that it will get cold, but if eating was all about the most convenient and economical way to get everything shoveled down you might as well just throw it all in a food processor and serve it with a spoon. If you’re just eating at home, it’s fine if you like to cut it all up at the table instead of the kitchen, but if you are out where someone else made your dinner for you, it’s polite to show appreciation for how it was prepared and presented. It’s the same as not picking all the cashews out of your salad and stirring them into your mashed potatoes or pouring some wine on your chicken to make an impromtu sauce. Once it’s on the table it’s done and you are supposed to not meddle with it any more than is strictly necessary.
This is purely anecdotal - but when I was in the UK, I ate rashers with a fork. Didn’t think twice, as it seemed like the natural way to eat it. Sort of like I wouldn’t eat Canadian bacon or sausage patties with my fingers.
OTOH, here in the US of A, I would never eat bacon (streaky) with a fork - fingers only, specially cause I likes it crispy.
I think it’s really comes down the cut of the meat.
Forgot the fries bit - “chips” for me are always finger food, even when coupled with fish.
[slight hijack]
The only difference in the UK is that when I went out for Chinese food I would get french fries and dip them in soy sauce. OHMYGOD. So freaking good. SOOOOO Freaking Good!
Here in the US I can’t find a single Chinese restaurant that has fries. God I miss that.
[/slight hijack]
You must remember that the British never, ever use hyperbole for a spot of good natured fun. I have never seen this having spent a thousand years observing them in their native habitat. But I have met many English completely preoccupied with thoughts along the lines of ‘We are better than X since we do things in this way’. This way of thinking is absolutely and completely unique to the English. It exists no where else. Other countries are generally thrilled to concede their cultural traditions and ways of doing things are grossly substandard. My friend Corialanus says:
“Anger’s my meat; I sup upon myself,
And so shall starve with feeding.”
I’m pretty sure he is talking about stew. Mad cow wasn’t around then.
The rashers are actually rashers of bacon. You would not go into a store and order just “rashers” (I worked in a butcher’s shop at one point).
Interesting. I’m not trying to argue with your experience, but it seems to me that both wiki and dictionary.com tend to disagree with you. YMMV.
But all that’s irrelevant, I just remember breakfasts that were plainly listed as “Eggs & Rashers” and the like. That’s why I called the English-style bacon “rashers” as opposed to “bacon” (American style).
I’m curious. It seems Mexican food is gaining in popularity in Europe. How do you guys eat a crispy taco? Knife & fork?
The Wikipedia definition agrees with me exactly. Dictionary.com gives two definitions, the first of which agrees with me, the second with you.
I would venture to suggest that there is no set standard; some people like it crispy and brittle, others like it floppy and chewy. Back and middle bacon is more likely to be served soft, streaky is more likely to be cooked on the crisp side.
In a restaurant as part of a cooked breakfast, the ‘ideal’ bacon would probably be semi-crisp - the fat (and rind, if present) would be golden and crispy, the larger sections of meat would still have some softness, but would be deep red and crunchy in places.
Having said all of that, I think a lot of Brits would regard the dark, anhydrous brittle American-style streaky bacon as ‘burnt’, so I suppose it could be argued that Americans would regard anything cooked over here as ‘limp’.
At a restaurant, with fingers. At home, I break the taco into lots of little pieces, then put the meat and everything else on top, then eat with a fork.
I very rarely eat french fries and I eat bacon less than french fries. My french fries are eaten with a fork if they are on a plate, with fingers if they are in a bag or cardboard container. On the rare times I eat bacon, I eat it with a fork.
This page shows a picture of a (mouth-watering) traditional English breakfast, which includes a good example of the sort of bacon I am used to in England. Cooking that until it is crisp basically ruins it. As Mangetout says, you would want the small amount of fat to be brown and crispy, but I disagree with him about the lean part - that should not be at all crisp.
That’s not what I’d call bacon. I’d probably call it delicious, and it does look like I’d need to use a knife and fork on it. Incidentally, that serving would be about two meals for me.
I wish to retract an earlier statement. If bacon is wrapped around a steak, I will cut it with a knife and eat a bite of steak and bacon with a fork. I also will eat bacon bits (on a baked potato or a salad, for instance) with a fork.
In the States maybe but walk into any butchers in Ireland or the UK and ask for 1/2 lb of rashers and they’ll know exactly what you’re talking about.
I’m English - I know that. This sub-topic came about because of an implication that “rashers” were actually different from “bacon”. My point is that they are “rashers of bacon”. I’m sure “rashers” would be understood without having to mention the bacon, just as I can order “one of each” in Yorkshire and it will be understood what I want even though I have not specified the items. (Answer: one fish, one portion of chips).
Doh! Sorry, mis-read
Oh, excellent. Now I’m going to be ravenous for the next four hours. 
@ Lynn Bodoni - you’d not eat a breakfast that size every day; even I wouldn’t (and I likes me food). But you’d almost certainly have some toast or a couple of rolls with it, and possibly some toast and marmalade to follow.
Reference the OP - when I roast a turkey and bard it with bacon, the roasted bacon is definitely fingers food, mostly under the heading of “cook’s privileges”. Otherwise, I like bacon soft enough for a knife and fork, unless it’s going in a roll or a sandwich.