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Cutlery

third man girl

third man girl

New Member
Another cross-the-pond question. Do Americans (I am aware there are rather a lot of you, and I don’t like to generalise, but . . .) tend to cut up the food on their plates, and then sit the knife aside to use only the fork? (As opposed to the Brits, who keep a knife in right hand, fork in the left, throughout the meal.)

Third Man Girl
 
Although I have seen this done I'd say it's a rarity. I have though seen many times, mother's that will completely cut up a childs food and then take the knife, only leaving the child with a fork (or spork :D ).
Maybe those that have the habit you suggest are those that were used to having their mom's cut their meal up for them.

RaVeN
 
That's a possibility but I live a half hour from the Ohio border so I would think some of it would bleed into my area.
BTW, people from Ohio are called Buckeyes. You'll have to ask Martin why.

RaVeN
 
Which Martin?! Which Martin?! I just spend 24 friggin' pages answering your questions, and you ask Which Martin?!

Sheesh!

I'll answer this in the 'Ask Me Anything'-thread.

Cheers, Martin :D
 
I think it's proper etiquette here, and definitely popular convention, to just cut one bite at a time. The knife is in your dominant hand, you cut a bite, and put the knife down and put your fork back in the dominant hand to eat the bite.

I bet Emily Post or somebody has an opinion on this. Maybe she has a website.
 
Martin said:
Which Martin?! Which Martin?! I just spend 24 friggin' pages answering your questions, and you ask Which Martin?!

Sheesh!
Click to expand...

Oh sorry Martin. I've ruffled your feathers. Please accept a gentle preening ;)

I don't always have time to follow that thread, between work, reading, writing, forumming and daydrifting, but I will rush to it now, and ask you the question.

Apologies (preen, preen) :eek:

Third Man Girl
 
Ashlea said:
The knife is in your dominant hand, you cut a bite, and put the knife down and put your fork back in the dominant hand to eat the bite.
Click to expand...

Why do you put the knife down? What if someone tried to swipe a sausage while your fork was en route to your mouth? What would you stab them with? I have two sporks for exactly this reason. When one spork is working, I still have the second spork available in case of attack.

This is pure folly. The whole of America is open to attack at dinner time.
 
third man girl said:
Oh sorry Martin. I've ruffled your feathers. Please accept a gentle preening ;)Third Man Girl
Click to expand...

LMK if Martin doesn't accept. A good gentle preening cost's me half a week's wages. And if is escaulates into a rough and tumble preening...AHA..then we're talking big bucks. :D

RaVeN
 
Here in Virginia we cut the whole thing up, with knife in dominant hand and then set the knife down on the top/side of the plate and just use a fork. That, or we use our fingers :p
 
VTChEwbecca said:
That, or we use our fingers :p
Click to expand...

As a fellow American I want to thank you so much for sharing that tidbit with the world :)

RaVeN
(who's in the process of filling out citizenship papers for Canada)
 
RaVeN said:
As a fellow American I want to thank you so much for sharing that tidbit with the world :)

RaVeN
(who's in the process of filling out citizenship papers for Canada)
Click to expand...
Well, I did say that was in Virginia...it might not hold true for the rest of the country. :eek:)
 
VTChEwbecca said:
Well, I did say that was in Virginia...it might not hold true for the rest of the country. :eek:)
Click to expand...

Yes, yes you did. But you would think that an aspiring young professional such as yourself would have the common decency to lie through your teeth :D

RaVeN
 
RaVeN said:
Yes, yes you did. But you would think that an aspiring young professional such as yourself would have the common decency to lie through your teeth :D

RaVeN
Click to expand...

I'm a little Southern Belle...I don't know how to lie ;)
 
It's an interesting mix really. What Ashlea described is considered proper etiquette and the purpose is to slow you down so you don't eat quickly. When someone chooses to not put down their knife between bites, but continues to cut with the dominant hand and hold the fork with the other, we call it continental style.
 
Ashlea said:
I think it's proper etiquette here, and definitely popular convention, to just cut one bite at a time. The knife is in your dominant hand, you cut a bite, and put the knife down and put your fork back in the dominant hand to eat the bite.
Click to expand...
Yeah, that's the way I do it too. It's a pain in the arse to keep having to put the knife down, grab the fork, then pick the knife up again. I wish I'd been raised by Brits.

I'd never cut my steak, etc. up all at once, because I'd be too worried about it going cold. A larger mass of meat will retain heat longer than little bits of the same.
 
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