Poll: What Hands do you Use a Knife and Fork With?

[JaceArveduin]

I change mid-meal.

Edit: Not to be difficult, but I really do. I carve my food, then switch around.

I sometimes force myself not to switch, but half the time I need a knife, I'll just keep my fork in my left hand and eat it off the knife XD

OT: What Tzimize said.

 

[Puddleknock]

I'm such a comformist that even reading this topic just makes me want to tut in a way only the British middle class can tut. Etiquette is important, fork in the left hand and knife in the right. The other way around is simply barbaric.

Ok joking, but still I would find it odd if someone was eating the other way round.

 

[LegitPlacebo]

Fork - Right
Knife - Left

If I remember correctly, this technically makes me left-handed when I eat, despite being right-handed for everything else. I don't really understand any issue that people have with how you hold cutlery, so long as you eat and enjoy the food.

 

[Apollo45]

Well, technically the "proper" way to do it is to slice with the knife in the right, then switch hands for your fork and use that with your right as well.

But, I just go with the knife-right fork-left scheme.

 

[Emissary Laito]

Holy shit. I've had it drummed into me for years that the way I do it naturally (fork right, knife left) was wrong. I had no idea that it was common practice in the US.

I'm not left handed, and I'm from the UK. Dunno why it works better for me like that.

 

[conflictofinterests]

I only eat the way I do, fork left, knife right, because my right hand is my dominant hand and it's more important to have fine control over the meat shearing implement than it is to have fine control over the meat stabilizing and moving implement.

 

[loc978]

The fork being my primary eating tool, and me being right-handed, I tend to hold the fork in my right hand. My left may hold the plate, a knife, a napkin, or whatever.

Etiquette (in this context, anyway) is silly, plain and simple.

 

[shadyh8er]

Much more efficient than the ridiculous American method anyway, which is to cut the food (knife in right hand), then set the knife down, to then switch the fork to the right hand.

Or how about the Trinidadian way where you do all of your cutting with the side of the fork?

OT: Being right-handed, I want the knife in my right hand because I handle a knives too awkwardly with my left. Not to mention I want all the force I can get when I'm cutting.

 

[Kenjitsuka]

I change mid-meal.

Edit: Not to be difficult, but I really do. I carve my food, then switch around.

Indeed. Thus using your best hand to first cut, then to scoop.

 

[Snake Plissken]

What hands? The ones attached to my wrists...

 

[Palademon]

The proper way is fork in left, knife in right, but I ignore that because I like to have the thing I'm going to use msot in my right hand.

 

[Brandon237]

... the 'normal' way (knife in right, fork in left), though if I'm just using one utensil, it'll be in the right hand, regardless of which one it is.

A better question would be: how do you hold your knife? (And no, that's not supposed to be a euphemism...)

This, knife is always, ALWAYS in the right hand if it is being used. Or else you are just rude D:<
When the knife is not in use, the fork shall occupy the right hand.
I am done now.

u... u mad bro?

But seriously, if I were to sit down at your eating table and eat with the knife-left fork-right format you'd get your panties in a bunch and kick me out?

Because seriously, that's really silly. I mean... the thought that it would be considered rude because you use "object A" with "hand B" instead of the other way around is really stupid.

I mean... what? I think I'd almost be insulted if someone were to tell me that I can't eat that way; it'd be like someone telling me I can't write with my left hand because dead nobles many centuries ago didn't use their left hand. I mean, that's all etiquette is anyway. Tradition of how one holds certain items.

But I'm sure I'm just stating the bloody obvious and there really was no need to bring up these points.
...right?

I have made bolder the important word there XP
And it does depend, at a casual event, why aren't you eating with your fingers??? But at a formal occasion etiquette is very important, you wouldn't show up in jeans to a wedding, you wouldn't smear cake on the guests, you would use the proper dining etiquette.

And again, if it were someone else's event, go ahead, but at my formal event, don't. I just see it as good upbringing to eat with knife in the right-hand at a formal occasion.

I guess the big, bold always wasn't really accurate there, but at a formal occasion... ALWAYS XP

 

[deckai]

Proper etiquette is, fork left, knife right. And do want to know why? Imagine that, several people are sitting side by side, everyone can decide for them self what hand to use for what. The result would several people would bump their elbows together, since the hand with the knife usually uses a horizontal motion while cutting. And without order it would be highly likely that their cutting-arms would face each other. So you would need to either accept the fact that you risk to annoying your neighbor or would need to adjust(screw up) the seating plan.

But yeah, if you eat with only a few close friends in causal manner, it's irrelevant, eat as you feel most comfortable, without disturbing the others. Depending on the occasion, my entourage and the food I sometimes don't even use the knife, this way I have a hand free for gesturing.

 

[plugav]

Fork in the left hand, knife in the right - for some reason, it's the only time I do things the same way right-handed people do.

 

[MisterDyslexo]

The stab scar on my left hand tells me that I use the knife in my right hand, but not that I should.

 

[d43dr34m3r]

I just smash my face into the plate and start chewing, obviously that's the most polite as it shows how irresistible your host's cooking is. Obstacles such as "utensils" and "cleanliness" cannot be allowed to get in the way of enjoying a good meal.

But seriously, the concept of rules for the use of utensils is pretty ridiculous. Eat how you want, and call anyone who complains out for being the uptight twat they are. Certain aspects of being polite, like saying thank you and holding the door for someone, are useful; exact rules on utensils, conversation, and behavior serve no other use than to let those who memorize and practice them feel justified in their feelings of superiority towards the uncivilized masses.

 

[sshakespeare]

It's not really a matter of left & right, since some people are left handed so their dominant hand is different.

I'm right handed, so if I'm using a knife and fork as a pair, using the fork to hold the food and the knife to cut it, then I'll hold my fork in my left hand and my knife in my right (dominant) hand, as cutting or sawing requires more control than pinning.

However, if I'm using my fork mainly to shovel or skewer food that doesn't require cutting, then I'll hold it in my right (dominant) hand and usually put the knife down, or hold it in my left hand but only use it as an accessory to guide food onto my fork, not as a cutting tool.

Additionally, there is actually a "correct" way of eating, it's called Dining Etiquette (and varies from culture to culture). There's no law against not following it, but don't be surprised if you're called out for no eating "correctly" as the established norms of Etiquette dictate.

as a lifelong lefty ( I have a t-shirt and everything) thats bullplop, for me its always been fork left, knife right, I have never felt the need to use the knife with my left hand. its all about manners

 

[Creator002]

Depends whatever hand I pick the utensils up with (mixed-handedness ftw!). Usually though, it's knife in left and fork in right. If I have only a fork, it'll go in my left, but a spoon goes in my right hand.

 

[sshakespeare]

It's not really a matter of left & right, since some people are left handed so their dominant hand is different.

I'm right handed, so if I'm using a knife and fork as a pair, using the fork to hold the food and the knife to cut it, then I'll hold my fork in my left hand and my knife in my right (dominant) hand, as cutting or sawing requires more control than pinning.

However, if I'm using my fork mainly to shovel or skewer food that doesn't require cutting, then I'll hold it in my right (dominant) hand and usually put the knife down, or hold it in my left hand but only use it as an accessory to guide food onto my fork, not as a cutting tool.

Additionally, there is actually a "correct" way of eating, it's called Dining Etiquette (and varies from culture to culture). There's no law against not following it, but don't be surprised if you're called out for no eating "correctly" as the established norms of Etiquette dictate.

as a lifelong lefty ( I have a t-shirt and everything) thats bullplop, for me its always been fork left, knife right, I have never felt the need to use the knife with my left hand. its all about manners