Andy_UK

I'm not sure what it is but my new family and friends in the USA don't know how to use a knife and fork.

They seem fine when it comes to a fork but add a knife and it's like feeding time at the zoo, they all hold a fork in their clenched fist and stab their knives at the meat hoping it will fall apart and then swap fork to the other hand.
I am always the 1st to finish eating while they are still trying tocut their meat.
Anyone else have similar experience or have I married into a redneck family

Sally Redux

Apparently there's a historical reason why they can't use a knife. I think it's related to the Constitution.

Lbjen

You'll drive yourself crazy trying to figure that one out.

The funny thing is they think we're the ones that look stupid trying to eat the right way.

Andy_UK

That's so true, they do think I'm stupid holding a knife all the time

Pulaski

No, we all have exactly the same experience and opinion!

I think they have bad manual coordination. The same reason that they drive automatics!

For Mrs P, who already leaned towards using a knife and form "British style" before she met me, the revelation came when she noticed I mostly kept cutting corners off a steak or chop, when her parents had taught her to cut strips, and then cut the strips into cubes, making two cuts for each mouthful, as opposed to my typical one cut per mouthful.

paul32x

I've noticed, it seems quite an art form for some Americans to eat a meal. It may be the way they are taught, I don't know, but it seems to involve either cutting all their food up first, or, more delightful to watch, cutting up a piece of food, then swapping the fork over to the other hand to use to eat the food, then swapping the cutlery back to the other hand to cut it again. Just one of their idiosyncracies, maybe, but it still gets the job done, just a bit slower!

penguinsix

Actually the "American" style developed first in France, but in Europe they switched to the current style about 150 years ago.

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/c...switching.html

paul32x

Most interesting, thanks. I'm not sure that I'd like them to change, I must admit, there is something attractive about their style.

md95065

Well it's difficult to use both a knife and a fork when you are holding a gun in one hand ...

Beaverstate

Bluegrass Lass

I just prefer "cave man" style. I stab the meat with my fork and bring the whole thing to my mouth and rip off a chunk with my teeth. If no fork is handy, fingers are the next best thing. Who needs a knife?

Pulaski

Er, no, not really.



Problem solved!

[Edit: And conveniently, for most people, their knife hand is their gun hand, so no inconvenient switching back and forth. ]

scrubbedexpat097

SultanOfSwing

I should get one of those, so I can shoot people who chew with their mouth open

For me, that's way worse than the inefficient but harmless convention of swapping hands to cut things and it happens in every country I have eaten in as well.

ChocolateBabz

It's because of religion - if HE had intended us to use cutlery we would have been born with it, that's why we eat naked with our fingers in this house