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).

Who's to say what is the right way to eat? Some cultures don't use cutlery, are they also wrong?
These people are harming no-one, why not get outraged about the many people who are?

I put my elbows on the table when I'm eating too.

Didn't anyone tell you growing up that it's bad manners to stare op?

@KettrickenSmiled well obviously, ratonnastick, sausageinnabun - no problem. Even my famous 'meat' pies. But when frequenting Hargas House of Ribs, cutlery is needed

Seriously?

Why didn't you trot over and ask them why on earth they didn't conform to your view of the world and ask which caveats if any they fell into? Starting with " I'm not being funny but...? "

Well, you're at liberty to navel-gaze at yourself all day long. If you post to judge others then you'll find that levelled straight back to you. Nobody, other than you, cares why you think the way you do.

You've "touched a nerve" because some of us have been bullied about it from being little kids. Some of us have disabilities meaning we adapt to eat in a comfortable way. Some of us come from different cultures.
You've touched a nerve because you're ignorant and some of us are really tired of it.

I’m right handed but eat like a lefty

Why does it bother you?

💯

I'm right handed and I eat 'the wrong way'.

I used to be picked up on it all the time as a kid with people asking me if I was left handed. I use to reply with "no, this is just what is most natural".

Who cares as long as you are enjoying the food, not chewing with your mouth open or spitting or dropping food everywhere.

There are more important things to stress over.

This.

I used to be in tears eating at school because one of the dinner ladies would literally stand over me as I ate. My parents were constantly on my case and my siblings used to tell on me.

Autism food aversions and being a leftie and getting bullied every mealtime. No wonder I ended up with an eating disorder.

Why is it wrong? Who decided, the cutlery police?

I'm right handed, I hold my fork in my right hand. I am able bodied, no dyspraxia, I just do it because I've always found it more comfortable. I'm not going to make eating my dinner harder because of some made up rules.

My daughter naturally eats with the 'wrong' hands, despite being right handed. Her manners are so good that I hadn't even noticed, it was someone else who questioned her about it!

I do notice people eating with their mouths open/scraping plates etc. No excuse for that.

Get a bloomin' grip, Hyacinth. 🙄

You are very judgemental and ignorant.

Family of 6 here -
1 x left handed, uses knife in the right handed way.
5 x right handed, 2 use knife in the right handed way, 3 use knife in the left handed way.
It makes no difference in what hand anyone holds their cutlery!
Daily in primary school, my 3 would get told off by lunchtime staff for holding their cutlery in the ‘wrong hand’ … used to boil my blood! Would they rather my children used the ‘correct hand’ and then be unable to cut and eat??

Get a life OP.

Who says it's 'wrong'? That's like saying using a pen in your left hand is 'wrong'- it's not it's just left handed.

I'm right handed but eat left handed. I think it's probably because my dad is left handed and I've copied him as a child. My grandmother is left handed but uses cutlery right handed, she was forced to do so as a child.

I can’t imagine being the level of judgemental that actually notices this type of stuff.

I eat with my fork in my right hand and my knife with my left. I have hypermobility in my hands and they cramp and lock with repetitive movements (looks like my joints have popped out of alignment). Even stirring a wooden spoon, causes a hand to lock. I sometimes switch hands so I don’t have further cramps in the other. It can be painful and I usually need to run my hand under warm water or have my hand massages to move the joints back into place.

Unless it looks like a bomb sight after you have eaten or quite noisy, I wouldn’t notice nor care.

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

What do you eat your apple crumble and custard with.... if not a spoon?

I can't even imagine giving a fuck about this.

I have always eaten with my fork in my right hand. I dont know why, perhaps thats how I was taught.

It never occurred to me that a stranger would be watching what I was doing while I ate my lunch.

Everything has gone downhill since Brexit...

One of the signs that someone might be dyslexic is that they use cutlery in the 'wrong' hands. I didn't know this until my son was diagnosed. He holds his cutlery in the 'wrong' hands despite being right handed. And yes, I tried to encourage him to use the cutlery 'correctly' until I realised that the most important thing is that he can use cutlery.

Very rarely has anyone commented, and the ones that do honestly are people that I haven't had much time for, even before then. Yes, I am looking at you cousin Jane, who's children couldn't wait to leave home as soon as possible because how things appeared to others was much more important than enjoying family life. I still don't think you realise why both your daughters moved quite so far away...

Did anyone actually read my OP where I said I wasn’t talking about left handed people, etc.

Or my post where I agreed I am BU?

(but I am not BU that this has touched a nerve…,)

I’ve always held them the ‘wrong’ way, as has my DH. Lots of people do. It has nothing to do with ‘basic life skills’, it’s what feels comfortable and comes naturally.

It doesn’t affect you, YABVU.

I'm left handed and so are 2 of my sons. We use cutlery the "right" way round. I have twins who are right handed. They use cutlery the opposite way. No idea why, but it's comfortable for them and they can use it properly, so I really don't care which hand they hold them in.

Eating politely with mouth closed, sensible sized pieces going into mouth rather than cramming in a whole roast potato..., not talking with mouthful, not slurping, not scraping knife, bashing spoon on plate etc. all essential and basic common manners and courtesy.

Holding your fork in your right hand as you sensibly cut a piece of food off with the knife in <gasp> your left hand, whilst politely make conversation, eating neatly etc? Not a problem.