Eating with a knife and fork in the wrong hands

[Getabloominmoveon]

Just sat in a cafe next to a whole family eating with their fork in the right hand and knife in the left. On the other side a young guy was struggling to chop up his food with just a fork. A few weeks ago an adult friend of mine admitted she didn’t know which way to set a table.This is In the UK btw.

When did this start? Have they never eaten with a table set with cutlery? Don’t people teach their kids how to eat properly any more?

At the risk of sounding like Hyacinth Bouquet AIBU to think that this is a basic life skill and people should eat with their cutlery in the right hands (unless left-handed, different cultures, Americans and all the other caveats of course).

According to my mum I’m cack handed as I always used to swap my knife and fork around repeatedly during meal times. Still have absolutely no idea how to lay a table with the cutlery round the right way!

My kids have decided that the word "cutlery" should only refer to the knife, because it cuts. They now call forks "stab-lery". They are very silly, my kids...

Ottolenghi hold his fork in his right hand. You sound very ill informed OP.

Left handed - fork in left hand, so the 'right way' apparently. However my sister is right hand and uses the fork in her right hand.

Also, I don't change my hand when using a single piece of cutlery, so the main working hand is the left hand at all times, whether fork or spoon only. That makes sense to me.

@HugHog I love your kids! 😁

Well this obviously touched a nerve I didn’t know existed. Who knew that so many of you had just as strong feelings about cutlery as I do!

However it’s AIBU so I can see I am BU!

As long as they're using cutlery, does it matter?
I'm right handed and my husband is left handed so obviously we use our cutlery the opposite way to each other.
Quite why someone in a cafe was struggling to cut his food up with just a fork when knives were available, I have no idea.

I think there's a lot of prejudice against left handed people. DD is left handed, and eats with her fork in her right hand and uses her knife in her dominant / left (wrong?!) hand. She knows how to set a table, of course, but sets her cutlery separately to ours.

Heavens to Betsy!
We really have seen it all this week on MN... Cutlery in the wrong hands, kids chasing birds in parks... complete neanderthals!

🙈🤣🙈🤣🙈🤣

@Getabloominmoveon

You havent touched a nerve

People are just pointing out how ridyou are being

My dad who's left handed also had his left arm tied behind him! Totally nuts. He developed a stammer and anxiety as a result.

Nobody has strong feelings on cutlery like you do.
We have strong feelings on not being a mannerless dick, by judging people who don't adhere to your hidebound concepts of cutlery use.

It's seriously bad manners to comment on other people's manners. So declasse.

Other than weddings I can't actually remember the last time I was anywhere that the table was actually laid. Cutlery always arrives with the meal.

I do this. I have no problem cutting food either.

Im right handed too so no idea why I use them backwards

I was rapped on the knuckles with a ruler if I was seen using the "wrong" hand for things.

It's so horrible to see people still getting judged for being left handed. It's not like we can help it.

OP, why are you watching other people eat? That is the height of bad manners if you didn't know it. You know now so stop it.

You're not 'touching a nerve', you're getting on several with your pointless querying about something that doesn't impact you in the slightest.

When did MN degenerate to the state where that sort of thing is acceptable? Sad.

I'm also a right handler who eats the 'left handed' way, as are my two children (one right handed and one left handed). What I find the weirdest thing of all is that people like my DH who eat the 'correct' way, ie. Fork in left, knife in right, eat with the fork in the right hand when not using a knife... what's that all about?

🤣

Really??

You wouldn't call holding cutlery a basic life skill??

What a load of rubbish.

Some valid points on here, noone likes a judgy pants unless of course they do, mumsnet is such a contrary place.

I teach my children to use their cutlery 'correctly' because I want them to feel comfortable and confident in every setting and despite everyone on here proclaiming that they pretty much eat out of a dog bowl at home (eyeroll), it does matter and it may impact them.

I am wondering though if people are serious about eating things other than soup or cereal with a spoon

Pops off to polish cutlery 😉

This!

I often have had comments over the years but never criticism. Maybe because DM is a leftie as well and had to endure having her left hand tied behind her back.

Omg. This is hilarious. I don’t hold my fork in the correct hand either - have I missed a basic social skill 🤣🤣🤣. Sooooo funny. You really need to get something else in your life to focus on rather than this sort of thing 🤣

I think people have become more relaxed about things that just don’t matter. My grandma remembers having her knuckles rapped at school for using the ‘wrong’ hands when eating. My mum refused to let anyone correct my sister because it wasn’t something to get worked up about 🤷‍♀️.

Get a life.

I hold my cutlery "correctly". Just the opposite way round to what right handed people do.

This bothers me, too. I also don’t like it when people eat when walking in the street, when people don’t place their cutlery together (with the fork’s tines pointing down) at the end of a meal, and when they hold the knife like a pen. Not sure why it just does.