The video sparked a fierce debate online about the best way to eat
A video of an American woman trying to eat ‘the European way’ has led to a fierce debate about etiquette. Amy Gordy was filmed trying to eat a meal at a restaurant holding her fork in her right hand with the prongs – known as tines – facing downwards.
In a Tik Tok viewed more than 2.6million times and titled ‘I don’t expect this to be that hard’, she held her knife in her left hand and used it to pile food onto the back of her fork as she tackled her bowl of meat, grains, and eggs. She also continued holding her cutlery while talking to a man out of shot who filmed the experiment.
The results were interesting, with Amy struggling to pile enough food onto her fork and generally making a hash of feeding herself. She also said that talking in the US while holding your cutlery was ‘rude’.
“So, many around the world have spoken, so I’m going to try to not switch my silverware for this meal. It could be challenging for us Americans. What I do – I don’t even know how to do this,” she said, grappling with the cutlery.
“What do I do? So I don’t put this down, right? So I’m keeping this in my hand. I scoop it on here? Fork down,” she continued, to which the man filming answered: “That’s so rude looking, because I’m talking to you right now and you’re holding both. That’s insane. I don’t get it. In America, that’s considered rude.”
Amy continued: “I’m not supposed to speak with my mouth full either, which I agree is rude. That is bad manners, but. I’m confused how to use my knife with my left hand. I’m very inept at my left hand. Do you scoop things on the back of the fork?
“Okay, but I am really struggling. Stabbing, I guess. But for the grains that are on here, I want to do this. Hey, you guys, I’m really trying. I really… Really am trying.”
Unsurprisingly, the comments were full of people bemused at Amy’s difficulty with using her cutlery in this way. “Being able to use a knife and fork properly is considered rude in the US, said Danielle Kennedy, while thrdad90 said: “It’s not the ‘European Way’, it THE CORRECT WAY.”
AK99 said: “Scottish here. Absolutely baffled why you’re struggling to use a knife and fork”, while Regiina Martin said: “Seems that etiquette is also illegal in US.”
Julesrules said: “If you’re right handed, you cut with the knife and press the food against the back of the fork, which is in your left hand, then bring it to your mouth. While you are chewing, you’re getting your next forkful ready. You don’t wave your dirty knife around. You either get ready for next forkful or you just rest it on the plate until you’re ready to use it again.”
How do Americans eat?
According to Taste of Home, many Americans use a technique called ‘cut-and-switch’. This would see the person holding their knife in their right hand and fork in their left as they cut into their food. They then put the knife down and use their fork in their left hand to bring the food up to their mouth.
The ‘cut-and-switch’ was reportedly common in France well into the 19th Century before falling out of favour. American anthropologist James Deetz says that Americans used to hold a spoon in their right hand before the fork became more common. He adds that forks used to be used purely as an accessory for cutting, rather than bringing food up to the mouth.
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How do Europeans eat?
As we know, Europe is a big place with huge variations on how people use cutlery. Food Republic says that in most western European countries, like France, people will usually use their left hand for their fork, regardless of whether they are right or left handed. People tend to hold onto their cutlery for the duration of the course, even when speaking – something Amy’s partner said was ‘rude’ in the US.
British etiquette coach William Hanson says that, in the UK: “Fork in the left hand and knife in the right, always. Start by holding your hand out flat palm upwards. Place the knife on your right palm with the blade facing upwards, resting along your index finger and handle resting in your palm.
“Do the same with your fork with the tines. Then wrap all other fingers on both hands around the handles and flip over so the cutlery is facing downwards. Index fingers should be running down the top of the handles.
“Holding cutlery is often taught with the caveat of ‘this is how the British Royal Family would hold a knife and fork’. However, the following methods go beyond ‘establishment’ rules: it is also the most efficient as, after all, a knife is effectively a saw to cut food, and a fork a stabber to lift food to the mouth.”
But do not panic if you are wondering how to eat the likes of salad, spaghetti or – as in Amy’s case – rice: “Some dishes (e.g. risotto, spaghetti, salad) require a fork only, in which case you hold it in your dominant hand with the tines facing upwards. The same applies to dishes for which you hold a spoon only.”