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I went to a Korean BBQ place with my son once, along with some of his friends. The BBQ was delicious...at least the little that I was able to actually get in my mouth was delicious. I'm no good with chop sticks.
LOL I like chopsticks (lived in Japan as a kid and sort of embraced the chopstick thing) but I don't see the appeal in eating rice with chopsticks. Sometimes a fork just seems to make more sense. Or a spoon for that matter!
Koreans know their BBQ that's for sure, but I digress. I do love me some Korean food though! LOVE IT.
You know what - my son married a girl from Korea and he pointed out to me that she thinks he's a great cook because he knows some recipes that combine elements like flour, baking soda or powder, etc. He pointed out to me that most Koreans don't actually assemble many ingredients - that they tend to cook lots of individual dishes. Oh, for instance, she is absolutely amazed by his lasagna because it's lots of combined ingredients and then it's baked. She's amazed by that.
But Asian food in general, and Korean food in particular - YUM. But like I said, I'm digressing! Sorry!
British and Europeans tend to use the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right hand, and cut their food and places on the fork as they eat.
This is different to some Americans who cut their food up and then use a fork in their right hand to consume the food.
This is not considered good manners in Europe, especially in fine dining establishments.
This for me too ^^^
And it's not considered good table manners to have elbows on the table, hold the head while eating, stab the food with a fork, change hands, cut everything in small pieces at the beginning of a meal, make mess on a plate or hold left hand under the table.
Kids learn that as soon they can hold silverware and feed themselves.
People also try not to have their food jump from their plate onto the tablecloth or under the table. Playing with food is frowned upon.
Or talking with a full mouth...
Most food with exception of very few is eaten with silverware, not bare hands.
Of course, I understand that different countries have different customs. That's why is often very easy to recognize tourists from some foreign places.
They also will mash food like peas or whatever onto the back of their forks to eat it - this is not considered good manners in the US, especially in fine dining establishments.
Didn't notice people mashing their food, although getting peas on the fork might be a challenge for some.
Also fork is hold with the teeth down, not up. It's not a shovel.
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When in Rome and all that - or just do whatever is most comfortable to you and drive on. I don't think most people are looking or judging. Or care.
Sure. You can eat the way you are used to and comfortable, but OP is asking about table MANNERS.
And yes, in some places and establishments people do look and judge.
I was taught that using the fork in the left hand was a European thing, and when you watch period dramas, you'll notice the upper crust folks doing it that way.
I don't eat much that needs to be cut with a knife anymore, but when I was a meat-eater, I cut with my right hand and used the fork in my left so I didn't have to put the knife down and move the fork from one hand to the other. I' not adept enough with my left hand to use a knife with it. Keeping the fork in the same hand instead of switching it seems more efficient to me.
If someone was totally anal about using the right hand for a fork, I would pay to have a group of right hand amputees dine next to them, just to turn their little brains into butter.
Next, I would ask them if they knew that the proper manners for wiping oneself was to use ONLY the left hand. Sinister and dexter were based upon cleanliness in the ages where soap might not be available. To wipe with the right hand in a public toilet was a faux pas. Yes, public toilets where people sat in a row doing their business and talking used to be common.
"Manners" are usually the ossification of rules meant to do two things - improve health, and keep the lower classes subjugated. The Victorians added prudery to that.
This for me too ^^^
And it's not considered good table manners to have elbows on the table, hold the head while eating, stab the food with a fork, change hands, cut everything in small pieces at the beginning of a meal, make mess on a plate or hold left hand under the table.
Kids learn that as soon they can hold silverware and feed themselves.
People also try not to have their food jump from their plate onto the tablecloth or under the table. Playing with food is frowned upon.
Or talking with a full mouth...
Most food with exception of very few is eaten with silverware, not bare hands.
Of course, I understand that different countries have different customs. That's why is often very easy to recognize tourists from some foreign places.
While I'm born and raised American, my parents fled from behind the Iron Curtain so as soon as we could hold utensils, my father was the one who sat me down and explained table etiquette and manners, continental style.
Fast forward to when I was living in Europe, at a restaurant, and a table next to us filled up with uni students from America. The whole restaurant shot them dirty looks as they came in talking and laughing with such a volume as to cause a spectacle. The guy I was with nearly had a conniption when he saw the guys at the next table grabbing French fries off their plate and shoving them into their mouths. I think the word "cretin" was used.
I'm a lefty so I'm sure that is part of it but I've always kept my fork in my left hand and used the knife with my right hand. It just seems so awkward and cumbersome to keep switching things around. And I also feel like I would be far more likely to drop one or the other if I were switching. My son is a righty but in our 2 person family, he learned table manners from me so he uses the Continental style as well.
but I'm not sure how widespread the piling food onto the back of the fork thing from that video is any more. I know it was more common in England at one point, but I think it's not really used that much now.
"The most efficient way of eating" sounds antithetical to good manners. Eating as fast and efficiently as you can is not good manners. While I'm obviously biased, I think the American way of switching the knife and fork to the opposite hands to cut a bite, and then switching back to eat that bite, is more leisurely and therefore mannerly.
It also seems obvious to me that the tines of a fork are slightly curved upwards to facilitate picking up food, and turning the fork upside-down defeats that purpose.
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