Why Do Some Many People Eat With Only A Fork These Days?

[dave50]

Especially on television whether it be real life or a drama and also I've noticed it more and more when dining out, they sit with elbow on the table eating with only a fork. What's happened to using a knife and fork correctly? i suppose it's yet another piece of etiquette that's not considered important these days.

[mccfluff]

i eat with my fingers

[Jackdaw33]

I thought that was ans American thing.

[AB Editor]

Someone I know went to the US for a year of his degree (probably in the 70s?). He said he was struck with anxiety when going out with his new friends as they sat there and ate with one hand - and that was the wrong hand for the fork - while he fought the urge to use a knife and fork properly. It was culturally normal there. Maybe they thought they were channeling the spirit of their cowboy forefathers?

Lots of places eat differently - sometimes these things slip in to other cultures. It's probably not the end of the world.

[andy-hughes]

I think it is an increasing mimicry of American eating habits, combined with a general sense of relaxation about the importance of correct table manners.

[mccfluff]

who decides which table manners are correct....

[dannyk13]

For some meals e.g. curry a knife would be superfluous

[ummmm]

It's mainly American. I eat slowly enough without trying to cut my food with a fork.

[ummmm]

True fluff. I've had a few meals with Thai friends and there was no cutlery.

[Jackdaw33]

I presume they use the knife to cut up the food then transfer the fork to the other hand to eat it.

[stuey]

Who is going to be the first one who says "I eat with my mouth"?: not me:). Anyway, when we moved to Ontario I was still quite young, and I was astonished to see people just using a fork to eat and even using it to cut with. I still use a knife and fork whether at home or in a restaurant.

[stuey]

But not with soups.

[woofgang]

If things need to be cut with a knife then I use one, otherwise not. I don't see that as against etiquette, just plain good sense.

[douglas9401]

I've always held my fork in my right hand and the secret police have yet to catch me.
Relax and eat.

[Jackdaw33]

At home, if I have a chilli con carne I eat it with a spoon. Wouldn't do it in a restaurant, though.

[Jackdaw33]

Let-handed people swap hands, knife in the left, fork in the right.

[andy-hughes]

mcfluff - //who decides which table manners are correct.... //

I think culturual habits evolve over time, with aspects gradually being seen as the 'accepted' way to do things, and then passed down through generations.

For generations, people always sat at the table to eat, but modern houses are built without designated dining rooms, showing how the trend for more casual eating has grown in pace.

With that comes a relaxation of the formalities of eating - including using specific cutlery.

Times move on.

[jno]

I only use a knife for cutting, though I have a friend who uses it to shovel things into her mouth with. Her tongue seems to have survived so far. I don't mind cutting things with a fork - okay for carrots or other sorts of well cooked food - but I've never met the steak tender enough to do without a knife.

[DTCwordfan]

Chopsticks, that what we should use.

Right hand only though, the left hand is for use on cleaning the jacksy. If you are left handed and with Chinese hosts, you ought to apologise upfront about having to use the wrong hand. The positive side is that it shows you have an appreciation of the culture, well one facet of it. By the way, the same holds true of the Middle East too....

[jno]

forks are actually quite recent, though knives and spoons have been around forever

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/design/2012/06/the_history_of_the_fork_when_we_started_using_forks_and_how_their_design_changed_over_time_.html

[Jackdaw33]

I could never master the art of chopsticks and admire those who have.