Do you use a knife and fork?

[beebee25]

I was in a pub the other day and was queuing at the bar for a drink. There was a group of people eating a roast dinner nearby. One of the diners was just using a fork to eat her food. Scooping it up on her fork and shovelling it in. She seemed to be struggling with her Yorkshire pudding and got her knife out for a bit and chopped it up and then reverted to a fork.. why would somebody eat like this? I appreciate she may have been American but I have noticed recently a few young people eating like this. This makes me irrationally irritated and I have no idea why.

Don’t drag us lefties into it.

I use a knife and fork with fork in left, knife in right.

I’m left handed and I do this.

judge away. Lefties have faced years of discrimination and persecution in the past for struggling to cope in a world made for right handed people, 🤷‍♀️

I’m reminded of Noel Gallachers comment about his brother. “A man with a fork in a world of soup”.

I do, but I know a few people who don't. I once asked one of them why they don't use a knife when they were struggling to cut a piece of meat, and they couldn't say - they just don't like using knives, apparently. I thought it a bit odd, but it doesn't really affect my life, so who cares?

I am much more annoyed by people who chew/ talk with their mouths full and slurp their food.

I use a knife and fork, but I don’t watch other people eating. That is unspeakably rude. As long as they aren’t snaffling their food straight off the plate like a pig at a trough, I couldn’t give a toss how they get it into their mouths. Some people, such as those with dyspraxia, may struggle with coordination. My eldest is 17 and still finds laces and buttons difficult for this reason. But go ahead and judge people whose circumstances you don’t even know.

My American partner uses his fork a lot and in the other hand. I think my way is nicer. He does have good table manners, it’s just jarring to me sometimes to watch him just use a fork. 🍴

@Berlinloverim left handed and can't use a knife with my right hand you'd hate me! 😂😂😂

I use both a knife and fork but for some reason I eat chips with my fingers, even when we're out. I just can't eat chips with a fork. It a good job I don't really like them

I've no problem with anyone using just a fork; I often do this myself depending on what I'm eating - but only at home, not a restaurant.

What I do judge is someone using a knife but holding it like a pen. Irrational, I know, but I can't bear it.

Yes, always eat properly with a knife and a fork.

My mum is American though and her table manners are awful. She cuts up everything into bite sized pieces in one go - like an entire (well done, hard as the soul of a shoe) steak into tiny pieces - and then puts knife down and shovels with the fork. It’s like a toddler eating. 😬

80% of the time I just use my fork yes. DH always uses a knife and fork.

Lol I can eat curry and rice with my hands. And I don't know anyone who uses left hand to wipe their bum

A roast dinner though if use a knife and fork

My husband is American and rarely used a knife, and when he does, he puts it down as soon as he’s cut up a few bites.

I don’t care, it’s the way it’s done in his culture, but it does seem to make it impossible for him to keep his elbows down, which I do mind quite often.

As for why young British people do it: they see online and copy it, as with many many Americanisms. My 7 year old granddaughter’s teacher told me a large number of kids at the school talk about bucks, not pounds, for example.

I mostly use just a splayd, except on those occasions where a knife is actually necessary,

I rarely use a knife if I dont need to.

Why were you monitoring how she was eating? How strange of you to do that.

I’m a reception teacher and we’ve noticed a sharp decline in children being able to manipulate cutlery properly - this thread goes a long way to understanding why!

i am honestly staggered that so many of us just shovel food around with no knife.

Muslims do this

Yes, if we’re talking about manners then staring is top of the list! 👀

I find my left hand is shaky some some days for some unknown reason which makes me self conscious so that diner sounds like me, I cut up my dinner and then prefer to use my right hand to scoop the food up with my fork just because it’s steadier.

You will be shocked when you realise so many cultures eat entirely with their hands.

Those who just use a fork , do you stab the food so it is stuck on the ends of the tines or use it like a spoon so it is on top of them? If I do the latter I inevitably end up dropping some on myself.

Shovel....scoop.....why do people use these words? It's very dramatic and over the top.

I just move my fork across the plate and food gets on it. Or if its something like a carrot just put the fork in it. None of this wildly exaggerated shovelling/scooping 🙄

On the flip side we were out a couple of weeks ago and someone was eating pizza with a knife and fork which did seem strange

Because they think these people are uncouth. greedy and lazy

How tragic 😂

And incorrect its actually more effort to just use a fork but how else am I supposed to keep one hand free so I can browse Amazon at the same time? 🤷‍♀️

Another one here with a dc whi just uses a fork. He's ND and also has physical fine motor skill problems and struggles to cut food even though he's an adult. Usually family or friends will have cut it up when his meal arrives.