Can y’all explain this “tines down” thing?
You don’t seriously mean that you place a mouthful of squash or string beans across the back side of your fork and lift it to your mouth that way, do you? How the heck do you keep it from sliding off? Do you drizzle honey on it first to make it sticky or something?
No.
Of course, one can turn the fork in one hand, to use it tines up or down.
Right-handed American. Fork in the left hand, knife in the right hand (if I am using a knife at all). Never switch.
Ah, thanks. AHunter3 asked what I’ve been thinking throughout this thread.
Just had a chili dog for lunch. The kind you make at home, where there is so much chili you need to use a knife and fork.
Mmmmmm, yassss. Fork in left, knife in right and pushing.
This could all be vastly simplified if people would just eat off of their knives. Slice, stab, lift, chew, repeat. Either hand will do.
This is a good point, speaking to the utility of a two-utensil, tines-up approach to certain foods–which the purported “American” style does not permit.
Oh, this is apparently exactly what they mean - Cite
That’s what I might expect of some alien species that was given a knife and fork and informed that earthlings use these implements to eat food, but had never seen it done.
Truly astonishing.
For anyone reading along but uninterested in loading a video, yes, she’s eating peas on the back of her fork.
Nothing this silly gets to be designated as “civilized” or “polite”. I’ll grant that it’s a civilized and polite thing not to point and giggle if you see someone eating this way but that’s just wrong.
This.
You have to remember, though, that Dopers are special.
I’m an ambi-eater. I’ll use a knife and fork or even two forks. And yes I’ll feed myself with the knife as well. Then gnaw on the bone.
Is she doing the thing of squashing them to make them stick, or balancing?
(I skimmed the video and didn’t see any food actually transported at all.)
I’m American and right-handed.
I prefer chopsticks, an elegant utensil for a more civilized age.
Didn’t grow up switching hands, and have never done it. I consider it to be a stupid and clumsy affectation, having nothing to do with manners.
Brit here. The utensil that goes in the mouth - fork or spoon - is held in the left hand; the other hand holds the other if there is one. If I’m eating dessert with spoon and fork then I’ll happily switch if necessary.
American with a Mexican mom. She would die a million deaths if we ate without switching. As much as I love Europe, that is one habit I can’t change. To me it looks very uncouth.
Uncouth to not juggle utensils back and forth?
Uncouth to always be holding your knife, as though you’re rushing through your meal.
I wonder why they’d think you’re left-handed. I’m left-handed myself, and I’ve never met a left-handed person who doesn’t switch hands.
Sure, no argument here. But it’s not really how we eat either. It’s what wannabe posh Americans think off people eating I’m Europe.
Oh, she’s balancing them, but she seems to have swallowed a whole brum cabinet before hand.
In the civilized world, the knife is not just for cutting, but also used as a stop for food that is sometimes difficult to scoop off a plate. A lot of Americans just use a finger, so couth is in the eye of the beholder.