How To Hold A Knife

[diddlydo]

Why is it becoming increasingly common for people to hold their knife like a pencil? How do they actually cut anything like that? Were they not taught any table manners?

[China Doll]

I don't understand how you can hold a knife like a pencil and use it (seriously, I googled it :-/) I'm now wondering if I hold my pencil incorrectly... I just can't imagine it.

I should point out I had a migraine last night and am not at my sharpest today.

[sara3]

lol.. I ate my dinner with just a fork, too!

[China Doll]

I will be using my fingers, we are having fahitas.

[erin-x]

I always need a knife! I can't do the whole cutting with the fork thing!

[Mick-Talbot]

And dinner was a 32oz steak ^

[MadMen]

Haha. Maybe we should throw a dinner party with diddlydo! :))

[China Doll]

Look... I just googled how to hold a pencil and a knife (just to make sure I'd doing it right), and I still can't imagine how you hold a knife like a pencil, it's just completely different.... I'm sure I'm usually not this dim.

[heathfield]

I was taught that in good manners the point of the knife should never be raised above the horizontal - this prevents it from being interpreted as a threatening gesture, especilly if a discussion at the table becomes a little heated!

[mazie]

For goodness sakes, lets just feed the people and not worry about what they do with cutlery.

[China Doll]

Finger food is more fun anyway Mazie :c)

[mazie]

certainly is CD...Imagine eating a beefburger with a knife and fork

I've been to a few countries where people would kill just to have food...

[horseshoes]

I notice lots of people, usually young, who have the knife and fork in the wrong hands. I don't believe they're all left handed just following another American trend; they hold the knife in the left hand, fork in the the right, like holding a pen in each hand and facing inwards; it's just wrong and looks dreadful. I don't think there's anything wrong in wanting to see good table etiquette.

[China Doll]

Exactly. I just can't imagine this sort of thing ever bothering me.

But I really would like to picture it in my head cause the lack of mental picture is irriating me... maybe tomorrow when the fog has cleared!

[MadMen]

Right. I've just been out to the kitchen and got myself a knife.

Er... I'm with CD. How can anyone hold it like a pen?! You'd get cramp in your hand after a couple of minutes.... unless you were using plastic cutlery :-/

[China Doll]

Ahhhhh... all better now. Snags just demonstrated for me.

[MadMen]

What?! How??

I was all cack-handed.

[Prudie]

Holding it like a pen is basically having the handle come up between your thumb and fingers rather than being underneath in your palm - H Bucket

[magsmay]

horseshoes - if you went back 100 years etiquette at the table would be totally different from now - why do people hang onto the past? Good manners and language evolve. In the past the knife was used to cut up the food and then then was put down and the fork was used in the right hand to eat the cut up pieces of food -Americans still eat like this. Personally I find it hilarious when people try to eat peas or any food for that matter on an arched fork - its only the English that presume this is the 'correct' way

[Graham-W]

If being attacked from the front, hold the handle of the knife in your hand with the blade pointing upwards.
To stab someone in the back, hold the handle of the knife in your hand with the blade pointing downwards.
Simples.

[daffy654]

Anyone who cares how someone else holds their cutlery has some issues.
As long as they chew with their mouth closed I couldn't care less whether they hold all utensils the 'wrong' way.