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Knife and Fork, Which Hand?

  • 04-08-2020 2:18pm
    #1
    the purple tin
    Registered Users Posts: 10,943 ✭✭✭✭


    Which hand do you hold your fork in when you eat?
    There seems to be a divide, the older generations were always taught to use the left hand for their fork, right hand for the knife (table manners, for some reason :confused:).
    That seems to have almost died out now and most people go the other way.

    Americans used to have a strange way of eating as well where they were constantly switching the fork from one hand to the other, maybe that has gone by the wayside too?

    And does it make a difference if you are left of right handed?


«13

Comments

  • #2
    hynesie08
    Registered Users Posts: 9,679 ✭✭✭hynesie08


    Fork in the left hand if it's anything that needs to be cut, use the dominant hand for cutting.

    Bowl of chips or goujons or some bar food...... Who cares.


  • #3
    gipi
    Registered Users Posts: 2,851 ✭✭✭gipi


    I'm left handed, but have always used knife in right hand, fork in left. Traditional knives have the blade on the inner side when held in the right hand, they're more awkward to use with the left as the blade is on the outside.


  • #4
    bee06
    Registered Users Posts: 4,514 ✭✭✭bee06


    Fork in left hand, knife in right for cutting then switch fork to right for the eating.


  • #5
    the purple tin
    Registered Users Posts: 10,943 ✭✭✭✭the purple tin


    Why was it considered proper to hold fork-left, knife-right does anyone know? Where did that originate?


  • #6
    banie01
    Registered Users Posts: 16,441 ✭✭✭✭banie01


    I'm a philistine when it comes to fork etiquette.
    No zig-zagging or tines down for me :o

    It's fork in the right, knife in the left and scoop! :pac:


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  • #7
    ELM327
    Registered Users Posts: 21,318 ✭✭✭✭ELM327


    Knife in right foot, fork wedged between butt cheeks.


  • #8
    Gregor Samsa
    Registered Users Posts: 8,901 ✭✭✭Gregor Samsa


    the purple tin wrote: »
    Why was it considered proper to hold fork-left, knife-right does anyone know? Where did that originate?

    Because, for the majority who are right handed, you have more precision and control cutting with your dominant hand. Less chance of the spud slipping under your knife and hitting the person across from you.


  • #9
    Dravokivich
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Music Moderators, Politics Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 22,360 CMod ✭✭✭✭Dravokivich


    Right handed, fork in my right hand. To me it's odd to watch people use their left hands to hold forks.
    Gregor Samsa wrote: »
    Because, for the majority who are right handed, you have more precision and control cutting with your dominant hand. Less chance of the spud slipping under your knife and hitting the person across from you.

    I'd rather the thing going to my face, to be done with the dominant hand. When using a knife to cut, while eating, you're leaning it against a fork anyway.


  • #10
    the purple tin
    Registered Users Posts: 10,943 ✭✭✭✭the purple tin


    Gregor Samsa wrote: »
    Because, for the majority who are right handed, you have more precision and control cutting with your dominant hand. Less chance of the spud slipping under your knife and hitting the person across from you.
    Lefties would have been told to do it the same way too though. It's like the nuns used to 'correct' a child years ago if they wrote with the left hand.


  • #11
    the purple tin
    Registered Users Posts: 10,943 ✭✭✭✭the purple tin


    Dravokivich wrote: »
    Right handed, fork in my right hand. To me it's odd to watch people use their left hands to hold forks.



    I'd rather the thing going to my face, to be done with the dominant hand. When using a knife to cut, while eating, you're leaning it against a fork anyway.
    There are so many ways people do it. I never used to think about it but I find myself sneaking a peek a people's hands these days while they eat.


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  • #12
    Dravokivich
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Music Moderators, Politics Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 22,360 CMod ✭✭✭✭Dravokivich


    the purple tin wrote: »
    There are so many ways people do it. I never used to think about it but I find myself sneaking a peek a people's hands these days while they eat.

    Yeah, while at my brothers wedding last year, I opted for fish and was provided with an alternative knife, that seems to be specifically for fish, and designed to only be held in the right hand (holding it in the left hand, meant a very blunt unusable edge). It seems etiquette is set in such a way, that it is not just about table manners, the knife is supposed to be in the right hand.

    But if I'm to be wrong, I don't get it. The other way around makes no sense to me at all.


  • #13
    Gregor Samsa
    Registered Users Posts: 8,901 ✭✭✭Gregor Samsa


    the purple tin wrote: »
    Lefties would have been told to do it the same way too though. It's like the nuns used to 'correct' a child years ago if they wrote with the left hand.

    Well yeah, left handed people were usually made to act right handed, so they would have been expected to use their cutlery the right handed way.

    Latin for left is “sinistram”, where the word “sinister” (evil or suspicious) comes from. Left handedness was actively discouraged, so the fact that they weren’t using their dominant hand for the knife wasn’t considered.

    Personally I do it the US way: fork in left, knife in right to chop the food, then fork in right to eat it. Unless I was at a formal or business meal, where I’d make an effort to do it right. And would try to hold off on drenching everything in ketchup.


  • #14
    Mitch Connor
    Registered Users Posts: 44,972 ✭✭✭✭Mitch Connor


    Fork left hand, Knife right hand, and I would move my drink to my left as well.

    I'm right handed.


  • #15
    biko
    Registered Users Posts: 81,223 ✭✭✭✭biko


    Knife in this hand *lifts hand*, and fork in this hand *lifts other hand*.


  • #16
    Seamai
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,250 ✭✭✭Seamai


    I'm right handed but have always use the fork in my right hand and knife in my left. It's not something I think about but on the few occasions I tried to switch it always felt awkward so I changed back. I guess there would be a tiny percentage of people out there who feel that things like this are important and not doing things properly is poor manners, I'm not one of them, having said that speaking with your mouth full is a different matter.


  • #17
    RMAOK
    Registered Users Posts: 11,197 ✭✭✭✭RMAOK


    Fork in the left hand, knife in the right hand.


  • #18
    the purple tin
    Registered Users Posts: 10,943 ✭✭✭✭the purple tin


    biko wrote: »
    Knife in this hand *lifts hand*, and fork in this hand *lifts other hand*.
    :p


  • #19
    corner of hells
    Registered Users Posts: 8,354 ✭✭✭corner of hells


    Gregor Samsa wrote: »
    Well yeah, left handed people were usually made to act right handed, so they would have been expected to use their cutlery the right handed way.

    Latin for left is “sinistram”, where the word “sinister” (evil or suspicious) comes from. Left handedness was actively discouraged, so the fact that they weren’t using their dominant hand for the knife wasn’t considered.

    Personally I donut the US way: fork in left, knife in right to chop the food, then fork in right to eat it. Unless I was at a formal or business meal, where I’d make an effort to do it right. And would try to hold off on drenching everything in ketchup.

    I'm left handed , you know too much about us lefties , you're now on the list with your "sinistram".


  • #20
    gifted
    Registered Users Posts: 4,829 ✭✭✭gifted


    Mitch Connor wrote: »
    Fork left hand, Knife right hand, and I would move my drink to my left as well.

    I'm right handed.

    I'd always use my right hand for drink and keep the drink on my right so I don't put the fork down in my left hand.
    People who eat with their right hand were dragged up.....












    Just dropped a prawn there to see who'll bite lol lol


  • #21
    Gregor Samsa
    Registered Users Posts: 8,901 ✭✭✭Gregor Samsa


    Anyone use a spoon? (Not for soup/dessert/cereal).

    We had an Indian guy over in work a while ago. Went down to the canteen and there was potatoes, peas and lamb on. We all grabbed a knife and fork, he got a desert spoon too. While we were all wrestling with getting a couple of peas to balance or stick on the fork, he just looked bewildered at us and shovelled them up with the spoon. He asked us why we didn’t use one, and we didn’t have a good answer.


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  • #22
    Church on Tuesday
    Registered Users Posts: 3,858 ✭✭✭Church on Tuesday


    I hold fork in right hand and knife in left.

    I'm right handed.


  • #23
    Mam of 4
    Registered Users Posts: 21,819 ✭✭✭✭Mam of 4


    Church on Tuesday wrote: »
    I hold fork in right hand and knife in left.

    I'm right handed.

    Same here , and oddly my kids do the same .


  • #24
    Eggs For Dinner
    Registered Users Posts: 2,932 ✭✭✭Eggs For Dinner


    I'm left handed, but hold the fork in my left hand, knife in the right. I don't think it makes a difference which way people do it. However, I'd be quite concerned about how a lot of younger people seem to have severe difficulty in using them in the first place. You see some out in restaurants and you can only assume they must only eat takeaways at home where hands are used.


  • #25
    sunshinew
    Registered Users Posts: 111 ✭✭sunshinew


    My mother grew up on a farm and left school at 14 but table manners were a pet peeve of hers. Knife in right, fork in left, no elbows on table, never scoop with the fork, you balance food on the outside of the tines....and god forbid you would ever, ever, ever contemplate putting the knife in your mouth.
    I've probably the least amount of table manners in my family but I'd still baulk at looking at somebody put a knife in their mouth or scoop their food with a fork like a shovel... there's a reason I'm single! Watching people shovel food into their mouths makes me queasy. Thanks Ma!


  • #26
    Church on Tuesday
    Registered Users Posts: 3,858 ✭✭✭Church on Tuesday


    Mam of 4 wrote: »
    Same here , and oddly my kids do the same .

    Glad I'm not the only one!


  • #27
    JasonStatham
    Closed Accounts Posts: 548 ✭✭✭JasonStatham


    I have no etiquette, whatsoever. Interchangeable with me! I lived in Asia for two years, and out of force of habit eat curry with a fork and spoon.


  • #28
    1990sman
    Registered Users Posts: 468 ✭✭1990sman


    what about chopsticks?


  • #29
    JasonStatham
    Closed Accounts Posts: 548 ✭✭✭JasonStatham


    1990sman wrote: »
    what about chopsticks?

    Yep, can use those, but wouldn't be crazy about them either. Most times I would just grab a fork and spoon off the lads if it was available.


  • #30
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭[Deleted User]


    I was never taught table-etiquette growing up so I've spent most of my life being mostly oblivious to it. I've spent most of my life using the side of my fork in place of a knife. Although if I was eating something that really requires cutting, like a steak, I used a knife to cut it into little pieces and then put it down when I was finished cutting so I could hold my fork again in my right hand. In recent years I've realised that other people were taught certain table manners at a young age and I have tried to implement them when I'm in a situation where I can be negatively judged for not doing so, but it's mostly a big act for me. It's just an aspect of our culture at this moment in time and the rules were different centuries ago and will be different in centuries to come. A way for people to try to demonstrate to themselves and others that they are elevated above others, without there being any actual substance behind it.


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  • #31
    beertons
    Hosted Moderators Posts: 23,055 ✭✭✭✭beertons


    Church on Tuesday wrote: »
    I hold fork in right hand and knife in left.

    I'm right handed.


    Same. Except I have to swap the knife over to the right hand to butter the bread.


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