# The Ugly American (when he's eating) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 6, 2014, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ugly-american-when-hes-eating/690164 "2014-06-06T00:43:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Jungian\_Camisole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8baadc/32.png) [@Jungian\_Camisole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jungian_Camisole)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ugly-american-when-hes-eating/690164/61 "2014-06-07T22:40:47Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > :mad: That’s for hoity-toity dandified pussies! Real Americans eat **without** using our hands! “Hey, Bubba! Watch me eat this donut!” 😃 What about fried chicken? To me, that begs to be eaten using your hands. Otherwise, it depends on the venue. If we’re eating at a nice restaurant, we’ll have impeccable manners. At the local hole-in-the-wall _taqueria_, all bets are off. ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ugly-american-when-hes-eating/690164/62 "2014-06-07T23:01:41Z")
Does it bother anyone else to see people wearing hats (esp. baseball caps) while sitting and eating in restaurants? I’m not particularly into old-school etiquette but this just strikes me as unmannered. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ugly-american-when-hes-eating/690164/63 "2014-06-07T23:35:40Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > I’ve heard that a lot of Europeans are appalled to see Americans eating while walking down the street. It’s just not done in certain countries. How odd, considering German stands sells cones of pommes frites for consumption on the street. With tartar sauce. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ugly-american-when-hes-eating/690164/64 "2014-06-07T23:43:57Z")
> [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](#): > > What do you have against, um, fingers? Fingers should be consumed separately. ---
**Author:** ![Weedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/weedy/32/301_2.png) [@Weedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weedy)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ugly-american-when-hes-eating/690164/65 "2014-06-07T23:45:43Z")
I don’t get the “can’t you even wait” thing. I don’t eat while I’m walking around a store, but the people who do probably do it because that’s the way they want to shop, rather than because they are so desperate for a packet of chips. Maybe it helps them concentrate, or do less impulse buying or whatever. I can understand being mad about the crumbs they are dropping everywhere but I doubt ‘waiting’ has anything to do with it. I learned the American way of using the fork when I lived there, and my parents spent months breaking me of it when we back to Australia. The thing that bothered them was putting the knife down to swap the fork, then swapping back for the next mouthful. If it was something that didn’t need a knife at all, then it was fine to eat with the fork in your right hand. But fine dining rules might be stricter, I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ugly-american-when-hes-eating/690164/66 "2014-06-08T00:11:41Z")
> [@The\_Evil\_Prince\_Zorte](#): > > Does anyone use the knife with their left hand? I got tired of switching hands, so I just started cutting with my left so I could keep the fork in my right hand. Using a fork left-handed is a lot more awkward for me than using a knife left handed. You are awesome. I thought I was the only one this awesome. I’ll fork with my left hand the day someone chops off my right hand, hopefully in a lightsaber duel or something sweet like that. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ugly-american-when-hes-eating/690164/67 "2014-06-08T00:15:51Z")
> [@zombywoof](#): > > Does it bother anyone else to see people wearing hats (esp. baseball caps) while sitting and eating in restaurants? I’m not particularly into old-school etiquette but this just strikes me as unmannered. It’s not the 1950’s anymore, bro. ---
**Author:** ![macster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e79b87/32.png) [@macster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/macster)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2014, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ugly-american-when-hes-eating/690164/68 "2014-06-10T06:39:10Z")
So, although Americans usually do the time-consuming switching of the knife and fork they are nevertheless faster eaters than the average European (or French)? It is quite impressive 😉 ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2014, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ugly-american-when-hes-eating/690164/69 "2014-06-10T06:47:21Z")
Have eating styles in America changed over the years? I moved to the US in 1979, and usually had to ask restaurant servers for a knife because I’ve always eaten with fork and knife; I guess Euro-style. Upon reading this thread, it occurred to me that I haven’t had to ask for the knife in years. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2014, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ugly-american-when-hes-eating/690164/70 "2014-06-10T09:13:15Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > How odd, considering German stands sells cones of pommes frites for consumption on the street. With tartar sauce. Only odd if you imagine that Germany is the only country in Europe. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2014, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ugly-american-when-hes-eating/690164/71 "2014-06-10T11:07:45Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > How odd, considering German stands sells cones of pommes frites for consumption on the street. With tartar sauce. I think it used to be true that eating in the street was considered poor manners, but that nobody cares anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2014, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ugly-american-when-hes-eating/690164/72 "2014-06-10T11:40:24Z")
I can’t say I even know _how_ I use a knife and fork off the top of my head, or have ever stopped to consider whether anyone would have a problem with it. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2014, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ugly-american-when-hes-eating/690164/73 "2014-06-10T12:43:16Z")
> [@zombywoof](#): > > Does it bother anyone else to see people wearing hats (esp. baseball caps) while sitting and eating in restaurants? I’m not particularly into old-school etiquette but this just strikes me as unmannered. Its rules like this and “no elbows on the table” that always made me go all 😕. Who came up with this stuff? Was it just for fun? Just to see how many people would buy into it? ---
**Author:** ![kellner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c2a13f/32.png) [@kellner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellner)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2014, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ugly-american-when-hes-eating/690164/74 "2014-06-10T12:47:21Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > How odd, considering German stands sells cones of pommes frites for consumption on the street. With tartar sauce. It’s one of those rules that still exist “on the books” but that widely ignored, just like never tipping a business owner or never inquiring about newborn. Even at the time when the rule was taken seriously it wasn’t so much that it never happened but that it was considered tacky. There are still people who pay some attention to the rule, but at least in Germany any offense taken would be pretty artificial these days. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2014, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ugly-american-when-hes-eating/690164/75 "2014-06-10T13:18:50Z")
> [@shiftless](#): > > I didn’t learn the European way of holding knife and fork was wrong until I was in college. Dinner at my girlfriends house, her mom started yelling at her son to use his knife and fork correctly,even though he was using them exactly like me. I didn’t figure it out until later that he was copying me and she was actually dropping a very strong hint that I was doing it wrong, wrong, wrong. …thus perfectly demonstrating the difference between _manners_ and _politeness_. Personally, I go for the “ultra-lazy” method wherever possible. Don’t eat anything that can’t be cut with the side of a fork (a wider range of things than you might think. I can do pretty much anything but steak. Or a hamburger, I guess). Then don’t pick up the knife at all. Problem solved! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2014, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ugly-american-when-hes-eating/690164/76 "2014-06-10T14:30:59Z")
I grew up with the Euro-style method for eating meats, although I never really learned how to efficiently use my left hand for soft food, as it just seems awkward for a righty. One thing that bugs me about my fellow countrymen is the habit of keeping one hand in their lap while chasing food around the plate with the other. Some foods will not just hold still and allow you to do that without looking like a moron. When in Europe, I noted that they keep a knife in one hand to act as a blocking tool to allow for easier scooping. Makes perfect sense, and is much cleaner than using one’s fingers for the same purpose. In Portugal, I noticed that the locals, when eating a sandwich, will first wrap it in a napkin and then nibble at it daintily. They seemed quite disgusted by the American notion of just pick it up and gnaw at it. ---
**Author:** ![Pixel\_Dent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@Pixel\_Dent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixel_Dent)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2014, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ugly-american-when-hes-eating/690164/77 "2014-06-10T15:13:32Z")
> [@The\_Evil\_Prince\_Zorte](#): > > Does anyone use the knife with their left hand? I got tired of switching hands, so I just started cutting with my left so I could keep the fork in my right hand. Using a fork left-handed is a lot more awkward for me than using a knife left handed. I do and unlike other commenters in this thread I’m right handed, have no other excuses, and cut with my left hand. I never knew (nor cared) that people did it differently until I was in my 40s and read threads about it in message boards. I guess I don’t look at people’s hands while they are eating. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ugly-american-when-hes-eating/690164/78 "2014-06-11T02:12:01Z")
I’ve cut with my left hand and kept the fork in my right, and I’ve done the opposite. Sometimes I’ll just cut up everything ahead of time and then switch. But constant switching just always seemed rather hoity-toity to me. ---
**Author:** ![Cayuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ugly-american-when-hes-eating/690164/79 "2014-06-11T18:12:07Z")
Just to clarify (and if you are European, feel free to correct me): Europeans hold the fork in their left hands only when it’s used in conjunction with a knife. If they’re eating mashed potatoes, peas, pasta, etc, they hold the fork in the right hand just as we do. Assuming they’re righties. What the lady is the video was demonstrating was cutting off a piece of meat, then sliding some potato or other vegetable onto the back of the fork over the cut-off piece of meat. I generally prefer to have just one foodstuff in my mouth at a time, but I’ve seen lots of other people do this. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2014, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ugly-american-when-hes-eating/690164/80 "2014-06-11T18:27:40Z")
> [@Cayuga](#): > > Just to clarify (and if you are European, feel free to correct me): > > Europeans hold the fork in their left hands only when it’s used in conjunction with a knife. If they’re eating mashed potatoes, peas, pasta, etc, they hold the fork in the right hand just as we do. > > Assuming they’re righties. > > What the lady is the video was demonstrating was cutting off a piece of meat, then sliding some potato or other vegetable onto the back of the fork over the cut-off piece of meat. I generally prefer to have just one foodstuff in my mouth at a time, but I’ve seen lots of other people do this. You seem to be implying that they switch styles during a single meal. As in, take a few bites of meat using the European style, then put down the knife and switch the fork to the right hand to have a few bites of mashed potatoes. Everything in this thread seems to indicate that’s not the case, and that they never switch the fork between hands during a single meal. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ugly-american-when-hes-eating/690164.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ugly-american-when-hes-eating/690164.md?page=5)