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carole
06-07-2005, 05:04 PM
I vaguely remember when in America many moons ago, that most Americans eat their meals only with their forks, I just saw a Programme last night that mentioned this, and said it started from way back when they kept their right hand free for their gun.

Now I am wondering is this true? here in NZ we use both our knife and fork for eating all our meals, how about you what do you do? enlighten me? or humour me? whichever:D

dukedogsmom
06-07-2005, 05:05 PM
That's weird. I've never heard that. We're civilized here, too. We use both utensils.

kittycats_delight
06-07-2005, 05:07 PM
Well, I am from Canada and I eat most all my meals with a fork and a knife. Unless it is something like a hamburger. though it is only in the last 5 years or so I started doing that. I guess once you get out and do some travelling in places other then North America you see the majority of us do not have a refined table etiquette.

carole
06-07-2005, 05:07 PM
ok well that is funny, I do remember noticing it when i visited, maybe it depends what part of the states you are from, be interesting to see my replys eh val?

Palomino21
06-07-2005, 05:10 PM
I am from Oklahoma. We usually eat with our forks, or a spoon just depends on what we are eating. However, foods, like steak, and so on we use both knife and fork.

carole
06-07-2005, 05:13 PM
oh just for the record I don't see anything wrong with using just your fork , it is just something I noticed different from here,obviously for steak you would need both.:)

caseysmom
06-07-2005, 05:23 PM
It depends on what I am eating...I would prefer just a fork but with steak you have to use a knife also and with soup you have to use a spoon.

Edwina's Secretary
06-07-2005, 05:31 PM
It is true that we use our utensil differently than Europeans (and I would assume New Zealanders and Australians.) During WWI and WWII...spies working behind enemy lines had to be very careful as this could be a giveaway that they were Americans.

We use the fork with prongs up rather than down and hold it in the right hand (normally) rather than the left. The knife is used for cutting but rarely as an "assist" to loading the fork.

(Don't know how well I am explaining...:rolleyes: )

I have never heard the gun story....but being from Al Capone's Chicago it gives me a giggle. I have always heard the reason we use our utensil different started as a part of the revolt against Great Britain. Wanting to do things different to show our independence.

And since, for those of us who are right-handed, having our fork in the right hand makes using a gun difficult....:D :rolleyes: :D

Also, to cut our meat we switch the fork to the left hand (prongs down) and the knife in the right.

k9krazee
06-07-2005, 05:32 PM
Something like steak I will use a fork and knife but if I can cut it easily with my fork I will.

buckner
06-07-2005, 05:59 PM
Forks? People eat with forks? What are forks?

I usually don't use utensils, if I don't have to. In a restaurant, I'll use a fork and be "proper". If I'm at home, and it's not hot soup, fingers it is!

Logan
06-07-2005, 06:16 PM
I love the responses! Carole, "this American" (me) sets the table with a fork, knife and teaspoon, always, and my family laughs at me for doing it since we rarely need the spoon, but that's the way my mom taught me to do it! LOL!!!!! So I do! :o Scott, Helen and I are all left handed, so we hold our fork with our left hand, but all 3 of us, strangely enough, use our right hand to cut with the knife. Maybe that's why we constantly fight our weight because we can cut and eat, constantly, without a break in between! LOL!!! :)

Good question! I wonder how many other American habits we have that would seem strange to people outside of our country.

lizbud
06-07-2005, 06:19 PM
Originally posted by buckner
Forks? People eat with forks? What are forks?

I usually don't use utensils, if I don't have to. In a restaurant, I'll use a fork and be "proper". If I'm at home, and it's not hot soup, fingers it is!

So how do you eat mashed potatoes, peas , carrots, etc.?

wolfsoul
06-07-2005, 06:24 PM
I'm in Canada, but I'm going to answer anyways lol.

The only thing I ever use both a fork and knife with is steak. Otherwise, what's the point of using the knife when the food doesn't need to be cut? :confused: When I'm at home though, and there's no company, I just eat the steak with my fingers. I'm a barbarian. ;)

equinelover23
06-07-2005, 06:25 PM
Oh boy! Forks are my favorite utensil! :D haha, I eat everything I can with my fork. I eat everything out of my soup with my fork, then drink the broth after. I use my fork for rice, mac and cheese, peas... pretty much everything, no matter how difficult it is.

Hehe, at school my friend always gets my whole lunch table our "utensil of the day.." Whatever utensil it is we have to eat our entire meal with it. Ok, I'm weird. I know. :D :p

carole
06-07-2005, 07:09 PM
Yes this is turning into a fun thread, I am enjoying all your responses, in NZ it is custom to eat with both a fork and knife, the fork in your left hand and knife in your right, you scoop up food with the knife and put it on the fork and eat, hope I explained that enough lol, any other way would appear strange to us, I think the British do the same, correct me if I am wrong.

Of course we have finger eating foods, like burgers etc, that is normal to eat with your hands as are chips or fries and cakes,sandwiches etc, but main meals nearly always with a knife and fork.

I remember having meals in the states with the people I was staying with, and only getting a fork and wondering how the heck am I gonna manage to eat with that only,of course I was too polite and shy to ask for one.:D

Logan
06-07-2005, 07:20 PM
This may be a custom that is unique to the southern US, but many people use the bread that is served with the meal to push the food up on the fork (rather than using the knife). Even though I live in the South and have all of my life, I have never taken up that habit! Many people use the bread to "mop" up the gravy or juice that remains on their plate too! :o

IRescue452
06-07-2005, 07:26 PM
At home I use only a fork even when cutting steak unless its real tough. Some people I know use a fork and knife for just about everything but my family exchanges glances at this. I don't know many people who use the knife as a loading utensil, this is amusing to me.
At school I use proper etiquette and never cut things with the side of my fork, I use all proper utensils including desert and dinner forks and spoons. (unless of course I'm eating alone or only with a few friends ;) )
Most often though, in both situations, I am eating with chopsticks which I find easier.
I think that today you just use your dominant hand, right or left, but I always heard that the reason the right hand was used in some cultures is because the left was a wiping utensil of sorts(ewww). I don't think the tradition is well known today.

-Ha! We used to do utensil of the day in high school also!-

dukedogsmom
06-07-2005, 07:35 PM
I use bread to mop up the yellow stuff from my eggs. I always get the eggs over medium. It's probably not proper but it sure is good! Carole, that is so interesting that you use the knives that way. Guess we're looked upon as being strange when we visit your country, eh? I had no idea it was so different.

Twisterdog
06-07-2005, 07:53 PM
Originally posted by Edwina's Secretary
It is true that we use our utensil differently than Europeans (and I would assume New Zealanders and Australians.) During WWI and WWII...spies working behind enemy lines had to be very careful as this could be a giveaway that they were Americans.

We use the fork with prongs up rather than down and hold it in the right hand (normally) rather than the left. The knife is used for cutting but rarely as an "assist" to loading the fork.

(Don't know how well I am explaining...:rolleyes: )

I have never heard the gun story....but being from Al Capone's Chicago it gives me a giggle. I have always heard the reason we use our utensil different started as a part of the revolt against Great Britain. Wanting to do things different to show our independence.

And since, for those of us who are right-handed, having our fork in the right hand makes using a gun difficult....:D :rolleyes: :D

Also, to cut our meat we switch the fork to the left hand (prongs down) and the knife in the right.

That is VERY interesting. I had NO idea. I guess I just assumed the entire world eats just like we do. Wow.

Shelteez2
06-07-2005, 08:20 PM
Originally posted by Logan
Scott, Helen and I are all left handed, so we hold our fork with our left hand, but all 3 of us, strangely enough, use our right hand to cut with the knife. Maybe that's why we constantly fight our weight because we can cut and eat, constantly, without a break in between! LOL!!! :)


This brings up a habit I noticed most about Americans that are right handed.
Most will hold their fork in their left hand and cut with the knife in their left hand...and then switch the fork with the piece of meat cut on it into their right hand to bring it to their mouth.
I however would hold the fork in my left hand knife in right and cut...then use my left hand to bring it to my mouth.

I noticed this when I was staying at a ranch with several American guests and we all laughed about it. Some even said that they would cut up all the meat on their plate so that they didn't have to waste time switching the fork from the left hand to the right.

Any other Americans do that??

k9krazee
06-07-2005, 08:23 PM
Originally posted by Shelteez2
they would cut up all the meat on their plate so that they didn't have to waste time switching the fork from the left hand to the right.
[/B]

When I do use a knife and cut things up I will cut up the whole thing, it is just easier that way and you can just eat without any delays!

K9soul
06-07-2005, 08:31 PM
Very interesting thread :). I suppose I use a fork for everything other than things like soup or pudding or ice cream. I will even use a fork for mashed potatoes (though I have not had mashed potatoes in a very long time now), potatoes are thick enough that they don't slide through the prongs. I only use a knife if something needs cutting like meat. I've never used a salad fork for salads and a tea spoon only for stirring tea and all those "proper" utensil usages. I get by with as few utensils as is necessary, partly because when I was growing up we had no dishwasher, so whatever dishes we used I had to hand wash after dinner, and the fewer the better! :D

catnapper
06-07-2005, 08:36 PM
Hmmmm... I use a knife and fork, but cut up everything before I eat it, as opposed to cutting a slice, putting it on my fork, eating that bite, then cutting another. I'm sure it is more elegant to do it the cut-eat-cut way, but I like to get all my cutting out of the way so I can get to eating! :D

Funny you mentioend this though. Last night's dinner was Macaroni & chesse and hotdogs. Since I don't eat hotdogs, hubby dished out mac-n-cheese for me -- in a BOWL and he gave me a SPOON! I looked at him like he had ten heads... isn't it supposed to be on a plate with a fork? :confused: :p :D

sirrahbed
06-07-2005, 08:43 PM
We always put out a fork and a knife. Spoon only if we are having soup or stew, etc. The knife cuts meat, spreads butter, etc. The typical American way really is not very officiant though: fork in left hand, cut with right hand using a knife...then switch the fork to the right hand to actually eat the piece.

In Germany we adopted the European way which is holding fork in left hand, cutting meat (or whatever) with knife in right hand and then just using the left hand to put food in the mouth - since that fork stabbed it anyway - oh and tongs down instead of up like they would be in the right hand...make sense??:D :D

If the food is softer and does not need a knife, then we eat with a fork in the right hand and with tongs up - sometimes using a knife in the left hand to help chase peas and things like that onto the fork:p

Edwina's Secretary
06-07-2005, 08:46 PM
Form matters to me..... I lived alone for 20 years and even if my dinner was burger and fries from MacDonald...I set a place...plate, napkin, fork and knife...and possible a spoon. I still do that regardless. And meat is cut one bite at a time. Parents cut up bite-sized meat for the children.

When my step-sons lived with us they made great fun of me for insisting on a set table. We called it ..."being civilized!"

buckner
06-07-2005, 09:55 PM
Originally posted by lizbud
So how do you eat mashed potatoes, peas , carrots, etc.? My fingers? I'm not a lady-like person. And I typically eat in my room. As a family, we don't seem to ever eat together... so it's "What do you want for dinner and where are you going to eat?" We have several TVs and no one wants to watch the same thing as another person. I eat with my left hand, and use the mouse on the computer with the right hand. It works, and I'm by myself, so who cares? It's easier, and I prefer to use my fingers.

Oggyflute
06-07-2005, 09:56 PM
Originally posted by Edwina's Secretary
Form matters to me..... I lived alone for 20 years and even if my dinner was burger and fries from MacDonald...I set a place...plate, napkin, fork and knife...and possible a spoon. I still do that regardless. And meat is cut one bite at a time. Parents cut up bite-sized meat for the children.

When my step-sons lived with us they made great fun of me for insisting on a set table. We called it ..."being civilized!"

Absolutely!:D

I've had to set a table for eight course's. Each course had it's own cutlery. Special fork and spoon for oysters etc. How many of you would know the correct utensil to use with each dish?:D

There's a simple system actually, any idea's?:D

Logan
06-07-2005, 10:07 PM
While we are on the subject, how many of you use a butter knife? I have had the hardest time getting my family to understand how a butter knife should be used! :o The Butter knife, as I understand it, is used to cut the butter, then place it on the side of one's plate. Why is it that so many want to use it to butter the bread directly??? LOL!!!! I'm a stickler for this stuff because of the way my mom handled it with us. My children think I am nuts! :o

Edwina's Secretary
06-07-2005, 10:10 PM
Dear Oggyflute....start with the outside and work your way in...

Dear Logan....thank you. Butter (not sweet Butterboy) is put on the plate with the butter knife....each bite of bread is then buttered from the butter put on your bread plate ...with your OWN knife...not the common butter knife....(Now I understand how Miss Manners gets so exhausted!)

Logan
06-07-2005, 10:16 PM
Sara, now I know why we get along so well, even if we are different politically! :)

Oggyflute
06-07-2005, 11:15 PM
Originally posted by Edwina's Secretary
Dear Oggyflute....start with the outside and work your way in...

Dear Logan....thank you. Butter (not sweet Butterboy) is put on the plate with the butter knife....each bite of bread is then buttered from the butter put on your bread plate ...with your OWN knife...not the common butter knife....(Now I understand how Miss Manners gets so exhausted!)

It was pretty obvious that you would know:D being civilised and all.:D

:eek: The dreaded butter knife. It's just so complicated for some people.:rolleyes: :D Get around it by giving everone a butter knife on their sideplate.:)

popcornbird
06-07-2005, 11:33 PM
What an interesting thread! :D I never thought their was an 'American way' to eat...I thought everyone has their own personal preferences.

In my culture, its considered very wrong and improper to eat using your left hand, so yes, when I'm using a fork and knife (on rare occasions), I cut with my right hand, then switch, and eat holding the fork in my right hand. My left hand is never used for eating. I prefer to eat rice, etc. with a spoon. I prefer to eat with a spoon in general. Forks are good for foods like steak, lasagna, spaghetti, etc.

There are of course, certain foods I eat using my fingers though. Pizza, burgers, etc. are always eaten by hand. I like to eat rice, and other 'solid' foods using my fingers too, in a very neat way. That is something I usually only do at home though. ;)

Sweetness
06-08-2005, 01:03 AM
Well I use, fork, knife, spoon, or hands lol i use it all! All depends what you are eatin and how you like to eat it

janelle
06-08-2005, 03:14 AM
I eat with a fork but also a knife to cut food if it is too tough to cut with a fork. Such things as pork chops and steak of course. Other food need to be cut to eat it, like Lasagna, if it has many layers and has a crust on it. We always set the table with a knife and fork and spoon of course if we are having dessert. Also need the knife if we have bread and butter.

I only use my right hand to put food into my mouth. The etiquitte books in America say to use your right hand to cut with the knife and the left hand to hold the fork on the food while cutting. Then put the knife down and switch the fork back to the right hand. Put your left hand back on your lap. Put the food into your mouth with the fork in your right hand. You can put the knife across the top of the plate until you need it again. I only cut a few pieces of meat at a time. I find if I cut it all at once it gets cold faster.

I am use to eating like this and when I see people in other countries shoving food onto their fork it looks like they are trying to shovel the food in as fast as they can. I know it's more efficient but it looks strange to me. Sorry, but it looks like how a child eats. LOL Not as refined. IMO And it would seem strange to put the food into my mouth with my left hand. I would probably drop it if I tried to eat that way. Too use to the American way. LOL

NoahsMommy
06-08-2005, 03:28 AM
At a VERY early age I was taught how to eat property by my very English grandfather.

I use a fork and knife for almost everything. And...I usually know what all the extra forks/utensils are used for too.

:)

Maya & Inka's mommy
06-08-2005, 04:04 AM
Originally posted by sirrahbed
In Germany we adopted the European way which is holding fork in left hand, cutting meat (or whatever) with knife in right hand and then just using the left hand to put food in the mouth - since that fork stabbed it anyway - oh and tongs down instead of up like they would be in the right hand...make sense??:D :D


Yup yup, Debbie, THAT is the European way :) !! I just cannot eat without both knife and fork :rolleyes: . Feels like I have one hand to much then.... ;)

It is true that Americans eat with fork in right hand and only switch it to left hand when they want to cut their food into pices, using a knife too then! I noticed when we lived in Missouri in the 80-ties! At first I also tried to eat "the American way", but then I gave up; I just didn't manage to get my peas on that fork without the help of my knife :rolleyes: ;) :D !!

Barbara
06-08-2005, 05:08 AM
Of course Americans eat differently, it's one of the ways how you can tell if you see them in a restaurant;)

My English accent being weird enough I only can tell from the accent if it is really really broad Texan:D

(In Italy, Edwina's secretary tried to teach me different US accents. Whenever we saw someone in a shop, she pulled my sleeve, whispering: "Now this is New Jersey ;))

Ok, us Europeans being so civilized and thinking about guns in hands: I think one of the advantages of the fork in the right hand is that it can be a pretty handy weapon too. There is a legend in my family that my dad being a teenager (that must have been in the late 1920s) ran after his sister with the fork and stuck it in her back. So he must have had it in the right hand:D

And Logan: talk about a butter knife: If you wonder what this is- it is what Butter has on all 4 paws;)

Now you all have to think whether you still get along with me;) :p

Logan
06-08-2005, 06:23 AM
And Logan: talk about a butter knife: If you wonder what this is- it is what Butter has on all 4 paws

Isn't that the truth? LOL!!!! :eek:

lbaker
06-08-2005, 07:30 AM
I'm with Sara and Logan on this one (politics aside ;) ). When I was growing up we were "proper" with sitting at the table until everyone was finished with a "may I be excused" when leaving. As a small child we had what was known as a "pusher" for peas and such. It was a sterling (always sterling silver dahling) utensil that looked like a wee hoe, small enough to fit small fingers. Cloth napkins with a silver napkin ring please, with initials. Cut when needed with your knife in your right, eat with the left. Utensils used from the outside in. Always a separate salad fork etc etc. Of course a separate butter knife on the butter plate. Oh my, memories......

Maya & Inka's mommy
06-08-2005, 07:39 AM
Originally posted by Barbara
And Logan: talk about a butter knife: If you wonder what this is- it is what Butter has on all 4 paws;)



Ahhhhhhh!!! NOW I get it :D ! I think we have "inka-knives" here ;) :eek:

Killearn Kitties
06-08-2005, 07:50 AM
I had totally forgotten about "may I be excused"! Good grief, that took me back!

I love the sound of the wee hoe. I have never heard of a "pusher" before (well in terms of cutlery anyway). Do you know if they are a peculiarly American thing, because of the different way of eating?

Jods
06-08-2005, 08:07 AM
I am Canadian, but I will answer as well. I eat everything except for the obvious soup, cereal etc with a fork. I eat stew, peas, mashed potatoes everything with a fork and only set out a knife if needed. If the meat is chicken I will cut it with a butter knife :o, but steak or something tough I will use a steak knife.

I was wondering how do you hold your fork when cutting? I turn it upside down so the hump is facing up (dunno how to explain) I always thought it looked horrible seeing people cut their meat with their fork the standing up. So what do you do?

gemini9961
06-08-2005, 08:16 AM
I use a fork for most everything. I will use a knife to cut steak, chicken etc. I don't usually use my fingers though. I eat with my utensils. I will cut up all my food and then eat it as well. Saves time :D If i need a spoon for soup, ice cream or anything a fork can't handle then I will use a spoon. I'll even use my fork to eat my french fries, lol. I hate using my fingers unless it's neccessary. However, I never set a table properly. I just grab what I need and use it. I really don't know what utensils to use for salad, soups, desserts etc. I have never been in any formal situations really to use all of those utensils.

ramanth
06-08-2005, 08:25 AM
The only time I use a knife is if I have a piece of meat like a steak or chicken breast, that needs to be cut up. But I don't cut anything esle. For the most part I use whatever utensil is needed... fork for solid foods, spoon for the softer stuff.

I tried using a fork and spoon for spaghetti and ended up frustrated. *laughs*

K9soul
06-08-2005, 08:38 AM
I don't switch from right to left when I am cutting and eating, I just use the fork in my left hand then.

I grew up with just my mom. She was a single mom often working 12 hour days to support us, but she still insisted on making a homemade meal every night for dinner. We did not have many of the things most people take for granted today, like dishwashers, air conditioning, cable TV, and for awhile even a washer and dryer (we had to go to the laundromat). So Mom did the best she could do after long exhausting work days followed by making a meal every night. She made sure I knew basic table manners but did not practice all the "proper" utensil usage. Of course I used a fork/spoon and not my hands for foods (except like pizza and burgers). She did the best she could to bring me up as "civilized" as possible, and I love her for it.

I really don't think of it as civilized versus uncivilized. I look at it as formal versus informal. At home I am informal. At a restaurant I am formal. With guests I am more formal than without.

IRescue452
06-08-2005, 09:58 AM
There's a big difference between formal and informal eating in my school. When I want to eat like a slob and forgo proper table manners I take my tray to a different room to eat (we can eat in any room in the campus center but there is a main hall for eating). This is especially true for chicken which I don't like to cut with a knife but rather to eat with my fingers. I'll be proper in front of guests and strangers but I eat like a pig when nobody is around.
This brings up another thought, when you have a can of soda at supper do you pour it into a glass or drink out of the can? I drink out of the can, who wants to dirty another dish when you are in a family of six and have no dishwasher. My grandparents drink out of a glass. At school we pour it in glasses. I never add ice either, especially with fountain soda, its already cold and ice just waters it down.

lbaker
06-08-2005, 10:16 AM
I use a glass, with ice, drinking out of a can makes me burp :o I like to drink milk with food unless it's wine with dinner.

janelle
06-08-2005, 11:03 AM
It's funny what each of us think as the right way and the wrong way.

My hubby's parents always insisted their children set the table "the right way"when growing up. Knife and spoon on right side of plate and the fork on the left. That is done in nicer restaurants as well. I guess this is for European eating but they didn't eat like Europeans. We would set the table with all the utinsils on the right side of the plate. Then I see my hubby at times cup the fork in the palm of his hand instead of laying the fork between the forefinger and thumb, like a child eating. That also looks like shoveling to me. I never say anything to him about it, it's too little to worry about but he will comment on how I set a table. Just silly. LOL

Also when I see a movie with people eating the Euopean way I notice they rarely look at their companion. The are too busy putting the food on the fork and loading it up just so. I actually miss out on what they are saying, I get too engrossed with their food handling. And how do people eat peas? Are they mashed onto the fork? EWWW, I don't want to see any food mashed before going into the mouth except mashed potatoes. LOL Anyway, with the American way with putting the knife down you can look up at your companion and talk to them better while switching.

Also, with the fork facing up you can scoop the peas and other hard to eat food onto the fork and into the mouth in one movement. I wouldn't know how to eat with a fork down, no way to scoop the food up that way. LOL No need to use bread to sop up the juice on the plate which is another pet peeve of mine.

Do Europeans not eat mashed potatoes? I could never eat mashed potatoes with the fork down. LOL

I guess we all just need to eat and not watch our neighbor. :rolleyes: As far as movies, leave out the eating scene. LOL

BitsyNaceyDog
06-08-2005, 11:17 AM
I read through a lot of the posts (but I don't have time to read them all right now) and found them interesting.

Depending on the food, I only use a fork. I don't use a knife unless my food needs to be cut. I just stab the food with the fork.
I eat with my left hand (I am left handed in general). If something does need to be cut I switch my fork to my right hand and use the knife to cut with my left. I then set the knife down on my plate and switch my fork back to my left hand to eat the piece I cut. I generally don't cut everything at once.

Cataholic
06-08-2005, 11:40 AM
Originally posted by Edwina's Secretary
Form matters to me..... I lived alone for 20 years and even if my dinner was burger and fries from MacDonald...I set a place...plate, napkin, fork and knife...and possible a spoon. I still do that regardless. And meat is cut one bite at a time. Parents cut up bite-sized meat for the children.

When my step-sons lived with us they made great fun of me for insisting on a set table. We called it ..."being civilized!"

Thank you, Sara! I was a bit taken aback at some of the replies here. :D

I dislike eating with some folks because of their (lack of) table manners.

While it is more efficient to eat as the rest of the world does-in regards to knives and forks- it seems odd to do it here.

Cataholic
06-08-2005, 11:44 AM
Originally posted by lbaker
As a small child we had what was known as a "pusher" for peas and such. It was a sterling (always sterling silver dahling) utensil that looked like a wee hoe, small enough to fit small fingers.


How funny! My friend gave Jonah a pusher! I had to ask him what it was. It makes perfect sense, and I can't wait until Jonah can use it. As my friend explained, it is only until Jonah learns proper use of knives and forks, of course!:D

Edwina's Secretary
06-08-2005, 12:21 PM
That loud noise you just heard? No, not another mudslide or earthquake....just my reaction to a CAN of soda on the dining table....:D ;) :rolleyes: :D :eek:

ramanth
06-08-2005, 12:22 PM
I never had a pusher. :(

I finally read thru the thread and I must say I've done it all.

I've used my knife or a piece of bread to push food on my fork (my thumb too when I'm alone :o Yay for double joints ;) ).

I've switched from left hand to right when cutting food.

I've ate with my left hand if I don't want to fuss with switching.

I've also ate with tongs down (which drives my mom crazy - for some reason she hates that :confused: ).

Most of the time, I only eat with a fork, but if a situation arises, I'll adapt. :)

Killearn Kitties
06-08-2005, 12:24 PM
Originally posted by Cataholic
My friend gave Jonah a pusher!

You couldn't post a picture of it sometime could you? I'd love to see it! :D

Logan
06-08-2005, 12:31 PM
Originally posted by Edwina's Secretary
That loud noise you just heard? No, not another mudslide or earthquake....just my reaction to a CAN of soda on the dining table....:D ;) :rolleyes: :D :eek:

LOL!!!!!!! I'm the same way! :o It drives me crazy when we get ready to sit down to a meal that I have worked hard to prepare and my husband has a plastic drink cup, the kids have cans or bottles and they could care less! I'm training them, slowly but surely. Helen already knows that I want matching glasses on the table and no plastic cups and no cans! Ha Ha!!! I'm the same way about silverware and plates, too. They need to all be the same kind!

To take it a step further, I also don't like to put ketchup, mustard, pickles, mayonaise, etc on the table in their containers. This is where my mother has rubbed off on me a lot. Even if we're eating burgers off of paper plates, I still want to put that stuff in a bowl first. I will admit that this is one thing that I do not push real hard on, though. I'm way outnumbered! Heck, if I can get them to set the table properly and learn to use a butter knife, I'll be happy! :rolleyes:

Barbara
06-08-2005, 12:34 PM
Ok, ok- no can on the table, no pot on the table and no mustard jar on the table:

but now comes the REAL tough question:

How about a CAT on the table?

Or two?:D ;)

*is sure neither her friend Sara nor Logan will ever again invite her for dinner*

Edwina's Secretary
06-08-2005, 12:41 PM
As long as the cats are in neither cans nor plastic bottles, they are welcome on the table.....assuming they know how to correctly use a butter knife of course.....

Anita Cholaine
06-08-2005, 12:44 PM
I don't know how can you eat everything without a knife! I eat burguers, pizza and that kind of things with the hands, of course.

My house is a mess when we have dinner... food is ready and nobody is on the table, we have lots of different bottles and that kind of things, but the worst is that, in the last weeks Anita learnt to climb up the chairs.......so perhaps I go to the kitchen to get something, and when I come back, she's on my chair, eating from my plate! I don't have problems with this, but my dad hates seeing Anita around the food.....for me it's ok:p

Edwina's Secretary
06-08-2005, 12:46 PM
Here is a sterling silver Tiffany's baby pusher ($250....:eek: :eek: )

pusher (http://www.trocadero.com/amri/items/31115/en1.html)

And you can get it monogrammed!

janelle
06-08-2005, 12:50 PM
My hubby tells the kitties to get off the table. He doesn't sit on their food bowl and they shouldn't sit in his. LOL

Do they listen? NOOOOOOO. They do jump down when he comes home but I've given up. They jump up on the table all the time when I'm here and sit by me. I tell them to get down and they just look at me. I have to get up and actually push them. So I have given up. Only when they lay down and start to make it their bed do I get after them anymore. :rolleyes:

Killearn Kitties
06-08-2005, 12:51 PM
Oh that pusher is so sweet! Thanks very much for that! Jonah and Laurie are welcome at my table anytime with their silver pushers. :D

janelle
06-08-2005, 12:52 PM
Originally posted by Edwina's Secretary
Here is a sterling silver Tiffany's baby pusher ($250....:eek: :eek: )

pusher (http://www.trocadero.com/amri/items/31115/en1.html)

And you can get it monogrammed!

I can't see a baby using that. LOL I can't see anyone using it really. A piece of bread is ok to be a pusher in my book. And
$250? :eek: :eek:

sasvermont
06-08-2005, 12:57 PM
Talk about a slow news day!

k9krazee
06-08-2005, 01:01 PM
One of my dad's biggest pet peeves are cats on the table. They can't get on the counters either, he has always hated that. But his dog (Mini) always has her own chair at the table, and if everyone is at home and no chairs are open for Mini he will go and get her one.

As for the pusher...I've never seen one and I can't imagine using something like that!!!

Logan
06-08-2005, 01:02 PM
Ha Ha! You are right, SAS!

Barbara as much grief as my husband gives me for trying to be too proper, he would just DIE if the cat got on the counter or the table! Me, not really! If you handle the amount of dog hair I deal with you, you can handle just about anything. :o

Barbara
06-08-2005, 01:06 PM
Originally posted by janelle
My hubby tells the kitties to get off the table. He doesn't sit on their food bowl and they shouldn't sit in his. LOL



Whenever I tell this Filou he says "You are very welcome to share my bowl with me.":p

IRescue452
06-08-2005, 01:09 PM
That is the first pusher I have ever seen, definately not an American thing around here.
No cats or other critters on the table please, except maybe a cockroach occasionally. I don't like people or animals leaning any body part over food and I hate to imagine where the cat's feet have been.
You guys would hate my house. We all have our favorite dishes and nothing matches. The kids have their character plates and cups (plastic so they don't break anything), I have my vintage set, my mom has her Correlle (sp?) and my stepdad usually takes what's left over in the pan after we all dish up and eats in the family room out of the pan.
Ketchup and other condiments are set out buffet style on the counter if needed and put on the food before it is brought to the table. I also have little Japanese dipping cups for sauce.
No napkin rings or place mats or anything fancy and annoying like that.
When I graduate college and get my own place its a different story. I plan to have formal settings and teach my kids proper. But until then I'll be lazy at my parents house.

Edwina's Secretary
06-08-2005, 01:49 PM
A properly set table.....

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid71/p2aeb2b04ec9a4438ab3e0ac130178653/fb879887.jpg

or....http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid48/pffbe3b2928ef574d092f5ff8a161d2aa/fcbf9f4f.jpg

Cinder & Smoke
06-08-2005, 02:16 PM
Originally posted by Edwina's Secretary

Dear Logan....thank you.
Butter (not sweet Butterboy) is put on the plate with the butter knife....
each bite of bread is then buttered from the butter put on
your bread plate ...with your OWN knife...
not the common butter knife....
(Now I understand how Miss Manners gets so exhausted!)

:D

Oh, the Trials & Tribulations of being raised by a Mom who MUST have
co-authored that "eddi-kut book" with ole What's-her-name! :p

Bread & Butter Chapter:

There were always TWO styles of "Butter Knife" on the table -
1) ONE common Butter SERVING Knife - a wierd-lookin cross between
a knife and a fork - like a bent knife - designed for ONLY a right-hander!
The Butter SERVING knife rode around the table on the common Butter
Plate - the "supply" dish that carried a 1/4 pound stick of butter.
"Please pass the butter" got you the Supply Plate
WITH it's companion Butter SERVING Knife riding along -
ready to fall off as soon as you touched the plate!

Butter plate HELD in your left hand, you sliced off a suitable
(Not so MUCH, Johnny!)
hunka butter which you then transferred to you OWN Bread Plate.
Butter SERVING Knife was then returned to the Butter SUPPLY Plate -
and you "bothered" someone else at the table to get rid of the Butter.

Next, grab a roll - :eek: (Johnny! - "Ask" to have the rolls "Passed"!)
"Take" the roll dish; then pluck one out from under the nappi-kin they
were always hidden under ... then try to get rid of the Roll Dish...

Now "break" the roll or bread slice (another NO-NO - trying to butter-up
a whole roll or slice of bread!)

HALF a roll or slice in Left paw, pick up YOUR Butter Knife -
that lil "shortie" knife with the rounded end - NOT your main cuttin knife! -
and butter ONE (small) byte atta time!

Peas, Corn, and other "Hard to Eat" stuff

Dad came from a "Proper Eatin" Family just like Mom did ...
But he'd learned a few Tricks that he passed along when
Mom went to get something from the kitchen!

Corn & Peas -
That stuff that just would NOT jump onna fork and make it all the
way up to your mouth?

Dad's FIX:
First - ALWAYS "save" a "backstop" on you plate - something you
could *herd* those pesky PEAS up against and use to *hold* em
still whil you slid the fork under em!
Good Backstops were a hunka meat or better yet -
a nice pile of Mashed Potatoes!

"Loadin" da peas was only half the battle ... ya had to get em
"delivered" to your mouth!

Dad's FIX ~
"MIX" em with something "sticky" - gravey was his first choice!
Or he'd do a Combo-Load ... <push> em into the mashed spuds
and then scoop a bit of the spuds on the fork WITH the peas ...
the spuds made a lil BackStop on the fork - a sure way to deliver
*most* of the peas to your mouth and not your lap!

If we had "Company", Mom would "Go Formal" and pull out ALL the *stuff* -
Polish the "Good Silver" and lay out ALL the "Specialty Tools" -
Servin and Carvin stuff that didn't often see daylight ...

And Dad would go "Hill-Billy" - "HEY, what's THIS Do-Thingy for!?"
Mom would just :) and :rolleyes:

Ahhh, the Gud Ole Daze! :D

/s/ Phred

sasvermont
06-08-2005, 02:19 PM
We were brought up to have manners at the table, to the point of feeling like we were in the Army and sitting next to a drill sargent! No elbows, no noises, no reaching, no nothing. We used paper napkins - I use only cloth now......or my sleeve! We had to be excused from the table - we didn't just bolt when we were finished. "May I please be excused?"......... We were not allowed to root through the refrigerator for snacks etc, we had to ask. !

I think society in the US is missing the standard manners in many families. I work with some attorneys with the worst manners I have ever seen. It is not what they do, career wise, just that you would think they would care about how they appear while out/in dining with fellow workers and clients. Some children (and many grown-ups) today simply amaze me with their lack of manners. Don't get me started..... Yes, it is a slow news day!

Anyhow, I do use all my utensils and chew with my mouth CLOSED.....and do the best I can to not offend any fellow dinners.

Edwina's Secretary
06-08-2005, 02:24 PM
Of course...asking to be excused from the table! Once my cousin left the table without asking to be excused. My mother called to him..."Johnny, did you forget to do something before you left the table?" He came back...sat down...and said a prayer!

My mother stills laughs about it to this day. That was NOT what she was expecting....

catlover4ever
06-08-2005, 02:58 PM
Originally posted by sasvermont
We were brought up to have manners at the table, to the point of feeling like we were in the Army and sitting next to a drill sargent! No elbows, no noises, no reaching, no nothing. We used paper napkins - I use only cloth now......or my sleeve! We had to be excused from the table - we didn't just bolt when we were finished. "May I please be excused?"......... We were not allowed to root through the refrigerator for snacks etc, we had to ask. !

I was brought up by my grandparents and my mom and our house was the same way...no elbows, asking to be excused, putting a napkin on our laps, etc.

I was in for a shock when I met my now husband. If he needs to cut meat with a knife he takes hold of the knife and gives it a full fisted grip:rolleyes: :rolleyes: you would think that the knife was going to sprout legs and run off the table. I have tried to show him several times how to properly hold a fork and knife but to no avail...so I stopped.

As for using a fork and a knife....I too only use the knife to cut my food and the fork to eat with. I really never gave it any thought but I must say I do find this thread to be very interesting.

carole
06-08-2005, 05:58 PM
well this has turned out to be very interesting and rather amusing, thanks for the replys everyone, we here in NZ just cannot manage without our knives and forks, it is like having bacon without eggs, it is just the norm here, and I think we take a lot of our traditions from our British ancestors who first settled here.

Some of us,like to load up. like we eat say a bit of mashed potatoe, some peas and the meat altogether in conjuction with our fork, of course some people like to eat their food separately, again its a preference thing.

I don't consider it uncivilised versus civilised, it is just customs that occurr in different countries, as you would think us weird using both ,we think it weird not using both.

However there are sometimes I might just use my fork like eating scrambled eggs with no toast underneath, then I would just use my fork.:)

Suki Wingy
06-08-2005, 05:59 PM
I love forks, and sporks are great too!

carole
06-08-2005, 06:17 PM
Hey what on earth is a spork??:D

carole
06-08-2005, 06:29 PM
Thank you Kater for your PM, I thought it might be a mixture of the two , but I was not sure if I was having my leg pulled,(a joke), we have them here too, but they are used for serving spoons, for salads etc.:)

lbaker
06-08-2005, 08:43 PM
"SPORK SPORK SPORK"!! It's just a rather silly word like "QUARK QUARK QUARK"! i actually bought a "SKQUIRT" once that was like culottes back in the old days :o I'm sooo glad you discovered that there really was a utensil like a "pusher" Sara, that's exactly what mine looked like. DANG, I wish I knew where it was now. Not that I'd ever give it up but ... I also remember hearing "Mable Mable, if you're able, keep your elbows off the table" My Mom used to take a knife to our arms and flick them. Boy, that hurt and only had to be done once!!

Logan
06-08-2005, 08:58 PM
My mom didn't use a knife, Laurie, nor did she say the little poem, but she got her point across by thumping us on the elbow! LOL!!! No arms, no elbows on the table, EVER!!!!!!

Edwina's Secretary
06-08-2005, 09:18 PM
I knew the poem as "Mable, Mable, strong and able...get your elbows OFF the table...."

I once went to a wedding reception that was "catered" by Kentucky Fried Chicken. It was the first time I saw a spork....and a plastic one at that!

jennifert9
06-08-2005, 09:34 PM
Quote by catlover4ever:
"If he needs to cut meat with a knife he takes hold of the knife and gives it a full fisted grip you would think that the knife was going to sprout legs and run off the table."

Oh gosh, this had me laughing!!

Sara, you were at a wedding reception with KFC? Was it a "tongue in cheek" type thing? Or an accident/emergency? You are so classy, I can't picture you there....
My house was the same, no elbows, no TV on, the phone just rang and rang if someone dared call during the dinner hour, no singing (I don't know why that rule went into effect, I don't remember my siblings and I being big "singers" but we must have been??)
We had to ask to be excused, thank my mother for dinner, put our dish in the sink and push in our chair. That was a big one too, pushing in the chair...don't know where that came from....Actually now that I think about it, are these etiquette rules or were my parents a bit strict at the dinner table....? ;)

IRescue452
06-08-2005, 09:38 PM
http://rds.yahoo.com/S=96062883/K=spork/v=2/SID=w/l=IVS/SIG=12916df0f/EXP=1118370943/*-http%3A//games.espn.go.com/news/nfl/hopkinson/spork.jpg
If I had known you guys didn't know what a spork was I'd have brought it up a long time ago. It as small as a regular eating spoon but they do make huge ones for serving. We use them all the time here. You learn something new everyday I guess. I'm still getting over the pea pusher.

popcornbird
06-08-2005, 10:16 PM
I just had to comment on something I read earlier on this thread regarding eating with a fork and knife and being 'civilized'.

People from different parts of the world and different cultures have different eating etiquettes. What's considered 'civilized' for some, may be considered 'uncivilized' for others, and vice versa. People are different, cultures are different, and just because someone doesn't eat in that 'fork and knife style', does not mean they are uncivilized. Chinese people eat with chopsticks. I know I would look completely uncivilized eating with chopsticks, because I don't know how to use them...but they look perfectly civilized when they eat like that. In some cultures, eating food with your left hand is completely unacceptable. Whether you are right-handed or left-handed, the right hand is used for eating, and the left hand used for washing yourself after using the toilet. :o For some nations, this has to be very strange, but for others, it is the 'civilized' thing to do. I don't think any of us have the right to condemn others as uncivilized just because they may eat differently. Different cultures teach different things. In the end, all parents do their best to teach their kids what they feel to be proper table manners. I was taught the proper eating etiquette from early childhood, and a major part of what I was taught was 'NEVER eat with the left hand'. I was also taught 'NO washing with the right hand after using the restroom'. :p In certain cultures, it is considered uncivilized to use the toilet and only wipe yourself using toilet paper. You have to WASH yourself thoroughly using water, and then 'dry' with the toilet paper. My point is...cultures are different, and none of us have the right to say which one is more civilized than the other, just because of what we're used to. Now...of course grabbing a bunch of food in your hand and stuffing it into your mouth would be uncivilized by all means, but what I'm saying is.....if someone is just using a fork, or a spoon, or using both fork and knife, or eating with chopsticks, or eating neatly using the thumb and two adjacent fingers as is the custom in certain cultures, all of these ways are neat if done with the proper etiquette, and it should not be considered uncivilized. There are civilized ways of eating and uncivilized ways of eating, but differences in culture should not be considered uncivilized. Every culture has its own important 'proper' way of eating, and that is what they teach their kids. ;)

I crack up when I go to Indian/Pakistani restaurants and see the typical American enjoying a meal. They're eating in the most proper way they know, but when eating the foods they're eating, the proper knives/forks way doesn't work, and looks completely odd. Naan (a type of bread for those who are not familiar with it) is not meant to be eaten like french bread...Its supposed to be 'dipped' in the curry the person's eating with it...and when its eaten in any other way, it looks funny. That's what I mean...What's civilized for some is completely wrong when you're eating the foods of another culture...though personally, I wouldn't consider it wrong. Its what they were taught and what they're comfortable with. Its just a teenie bit cute and funny to see someone eating naan like french bread, and eating the curry with a spoon like soup. :D:D I love diversity, and love different cultures. Its what makes us all unique and interesting...he he he. :D

Edwina's Secretary
06-08-2005, 10:22 PM
Well.....I'm the one who said "civilized".... as a joke with my stepsons. So please...don't let that start anything! :D It wasn't a cultural thing....unless you are talking Old folks (me...) culture and young folk (them) culture....:D :D

Logan
06-08-2005, 10:48 PM
I swear, we are never too old to learn something new. Popcornbird, I have NEVER heard of that custom, so you have taught me something tonight! Of course, since I'm a lefty, I'm still going to hold my fork in my left hand, but I'll make sure to wash up extra good after using the restroom! :o

carole
06-08-2005, 11:53 PM
I don't think anyone is taking this thread negatively, just with a bit of humour and maybe amazement, yes different strokes for different folks, it is all good in the end, that food gets to where it is meant to and that is all that matters.:)

popcornbird
06-09-2005, 01:49 AM
Originally posted by Edwina's Secretary
Well.....I'm the one who said "civilized".... as a joke with my stepsons. So please...don't let that start anything! :D It wasn't a cultural thing....unless you are talking Old folks (me...) culture and young folk (them) culture....:D :D

He he! I knew what you meant, but I wanted to post about different cultures just so no one else took it in another way. Aren't different cultures so fascinating? We always learn something new. :D

Logan, I can't stop laughing after reading your post. He he he!! :o

Killearn Kitties
06-09-2005, 02:18 AM
Elbows on the table! That was a HUGE thing with my dad - he hated it. Don't think he ever actually flicked me with a knife, and I never heard about Mabel, but I do remember hearing "all uncooked joints off the table" every two minutes! :D

Oggyflute
06-09-2005, 02:27 AM
Originally posted by Killearn Kitties
Elbows on the table! That was a HUGE thing with my dad - he hated it. Don't think he ever actually flicked me with a knife, and I never heard about Mabel, but I do remember hearing "all uncooked joints off the table" every two minutes! :D

Must be a British thing, my father used to say exactly the same thing, but probably with more gusto. :D

dukedogsmom
06-09-2005, 02:29 AM
Off topic but Popcornbird, I love that bread! I can't handle the curry though but I eat it with my Tanduri(sp) chicken. Wish we had an Indian restaurant near me!! Closest one I think is like an hour away.

popcornbird
06-09-2005, 02:47 AM
Originally posted by dukedogsmom
Off topic but Popcornbird, I love that bread! I can't handle the curry though but I eat it with my Tanduri(sp) chicken. Wish we had an Indian restaurant near me!! Closest one I think is like an hour away.

Funny you mentioned it...My mom just made tandoor chicken for dinner tonight. :D Sooo yummy! I love naan with tandoori chicken.

Barbara
06-09-2005, 03:03 AM
I LOVE Indian food and sometimes I even cook- although I am just an apprentice in that art and will never manage. I love the different grades of hotness, textures, colours and taste.

In India people eat with bread and hands and they say (I have read it) that the food tastes different if you eat it that way, that the way of eating it with knives and forks is kind of sterile. I can believe that. And who ever has seen how perfectly neat Indians can eat with their right hand would never think it isn't "civilized".

Of course if I did it- with a big mess I'd expect- it would not be "civilized" at all:D

smokey the elder
06-09-2005, 09:14 AM
I eat "American style" for the most part. My parents, and especially my paternal grandma, were quite strict about table manners, and it has stuck pretty well. One thing I do enjoy doing is when I eat at an ethnic restaurant, I do my best to eat in that accustomed way. I ate at a Moroccan restaurant, where the suggested method was use the flatbread to pick up the food, but only with the right hand. I "slipped up" a few times but the staff admired me for trying. I think it's a great learning experience. I'll never forget learning how to use chopsticks! Boy was I ever a spazz! But that's how you learn.

This is a really cool thread.

BitsyNaceyDog
06-09-2005, 11:04 AM
Justin had to learn table manners when we got married. His mom makes supper and his family all comes to get what they want off the stove and takes it and eats anywhere in the house. My family was totally different. We set the table with place-mates, plates, glasses, napkins, spoons, forks, and knives. Food was taken out of the pot and put into a bowl on the table. We always said a blessing before we ate anything. Napkins always go in your lap. Forks have to be held properly. No elbows on the table. We had to ask permission to leave the table. Hats are a big no-no too. Justin wears a hat and has to take it off before he sits down at my patents table. His parents on the other hand couldn't care less, anything goes.


A couple years ago Justin's parents had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner, they invited their english friends who had lived here for a couple years, but never had a thanksgiving dinner. The english family is very very proper. Justin's redneck grandparents from West Virginia also came for Thanksgiving that year. Wow was that a Thanksgiving to remember. Justin's grandma sat down next to the english woman. She (the grandma) took a bite of something and said "mmm, this is good", she turns to the english woman and said "did you get any of this?" She hadn't, so Justin's grandma put some more on her fork and shoved it into the english woman's mouth. :eek: We all sat there speechless (and embarrassed).

wolf_Q
06-09-2005, 07:49 PM
In the grand scheme of things I just can't bring myself to care whether I'm using the correct fork for a salad or which hand I'm supposed to hold the knife with...

Sorry, I guess I should care otherwise I'm considered "uncivilized" but I don't. Yes I use silverware, but only the essentials. I find it incredibly pointless to set out all the silverware if all you need to use is a fork. I'm sure I've put my elbows up on the table, I don't really notice. I don't talk with my mouth full (or at least I try not to) or like eat food off of somebody else's plate or anything. ;)

Just don't invite me to dinner any of you, I'd rather not have people watching the way I use my silverware. ;)