Unofficial Etiquette Pollage

[primroseburrows]

After hearing a discussion on the radio about table manners and cultural/national ways of eating, I got curious and decided to ask you guys about it. According to the program, there is more than one way people in Western countries use a knife while eating. I did not know this, which shows just how much I don't know about culture.

So anyway, a poll:



[Poll #1409363]

Comments

[malnpudl.livejournal.com]

US born & raised: I was taught the first option, with the fork-hand-switch maneuver, but in the last, oh, 15 years or so I've mostly switched over to leaving the knife in the right hand and the fork in the left when eating something like steak that requires a lot of cutting up. I was under the impression that the latter was more of a European thing, but I'm not sure where I heard that.

[primroseburrows.livejournal.com]

Apparently the switch-fork method is the "American" method and the other is the "Continental". I seriously never knew or noticed.

I do the switch thing (and I really had to think about this, with miming and everything), although I've probably done it the other way for reasons of haste and practicality. The Continental way does seem more efficient (which is what the Manners Lady said in the program piece).