From: baron@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Dennis Baron)
Subject: Re: Knives and forks
Organization: University of Illinois
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 17:30:04 GMT

In article <glen.724433823@cs.wisc.edu> glen@slate.cs.wisc.edu (Glen Ecklund) writes:
>Newsgroups: alt.usage.english
>Path: news.cso.uiuc.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!uwm.edu!daffy!uwvax!cs.wisc.edu!glen
>From: glen@slate.cs.wisc.edu (Glen Ecklund)
>Subject: Knives and forks
>Message-ID: <glen.724433823@cs.wisc.edu>
>Sender: news@cs.wisc.edu (The News)
>Organization: U of Wisconsin Madison - Computer Sciences
>References: <11872@hogg.ed.ac.uk> <Bz11p2.LLv@ccu.umanitoba.ca> <12034@scott.ed.ac.uk> <7940@tekig7.PEN.TEK.COM>
>Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 15:37:03 GMT
>Lines: 34
>Sorry about the non-linguistic post.  I've changed the subject so that you can
>kill it if you wish.  But I'm probably not the only one curious about this.  
>
>briand@tekig5.pen.tek.com (Brian D Diehm) writes:
>
>>[There is precedent for this last comment. Europeans ridicule American table
>>manners, where the fork *must* be transferred from left hand to right after
>>cutting meat and before moving it to the mouth. However, this was instituted in
>>colonial times because the colonists were afraid (I don't know if they were
>>justified) that if they didn't have table manners *better* than the motherland,
>>they would be looked down upon as uncultured rustics, half reverted to Indian
>>savagery.]
>
>So how did the Europeans come to use the backs of their forks?  (Or is it
>ethnocentric of me to think that the convex side is the back?   Are European
>forks decorated on the convex side?  US forks are pretty on the concave side,
>and the convex side often has the name of the manufacturer.)
>When I eat peas or mashed potatoes, I use the fork in my right hand, like a
>spoon.  But I've seen Europeans mash peas onto the backs of their forks with
>a knife.  Now that strikes me as odd.  Is that a reaction against switching?
>Is it the Euro-norm?
>
>Personally, while I grew up as a US fork-switcher, I'm now a vegetarian and
>rarely use a knife, meaning that I almost always hold my fork in my right hand.
>I cut most things with the side of my fork, which I suppose is not done
>much outside the US (and maybe Canada?).  When I do use my knife, I often
>eat Euro-style while cutting, then switch back.  I should also mention that I'm
>right-handed.
>-- 
>Every child shall be treated with complete respect.
>
>Glen Ecklund     glen@cs.wisc.edu   (608) 262-1318 Office, 262-1204 Dept. Sec'y
>Department of Computer Sciences        1210 W. Dayton St., Room 3355
>University of Wisconsin, Madison       Madison, Wis. 53706  U.S.A.


At least Americans don't feel compelled to peel everything, including
grapes.


Dennis
--

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