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Know which hand to use while eating. Hold the fork correctly while eating. Know which hand to use while simultaneously cutting with a knife. Hold the fork correctly while simultaneously cutting. Stab the prongs into your food to take a bite. Bring the food into your mouth. Know where to put your fork when you are finished with a bite, and when you are finished with the meal.
Generally, you will use whichever hand is most comfortable to pick up and hold your fork. However, there are some cultural differences you should be aware of. The type of meal you are eating may also affect your choice of hand. Take a look at these tips to help you choose which hand to hold the fork in: Europeans tend to keep the fork in their left hand throughout a meal. Americans will often hold the fork in their right hand while eating. If you don't need to observe table etiquette, hold the fork in whichever hand is most comfortable. Once you know which hand to pick the fork up with, you'll need to learn the proper way to hold it. Holding your fork properly will give you more control over it and allow you to observe good table manners. There are also two ways of holding your fork; the American method and the European style. Keep these steps in mind whenever you are picking up and holding a fork: To hold your fork in the European fashion, the end of the handle should be in the palm of your hand. Your pointer finger should be placed on the back of the fork, near the head of the fork. Your thumb will be placed on the outside edge of the fork handle. Grip the fork with the rest of your fingers, preventing it from dropping of shifting while in use. The tines of the fork should be pointing downwards in this style. To hold your fork in the American style, pick the fork up like you would hold a pencil. Hold the fork between your index and middle fingers, near the joint where the fork head meets the handle. Your thumb will go on top of the handle, resting about halfway up. The points of the fork will be pointing upwards, allowing you to stab or scoop food. Hold it up close to the top. There are two different ways to hold your fork while cutting with a knife; the American method and the European method. Knowing which method to use can help you observe proper local etiquette, make a good impression and enjoy your meal. Europeans will hold their fork in the left hand and their knife in the right hand. If you are eating in a European style dinner, do not switch hands during a meal. Always hold the fork in your left hand. When Americans are cutting food they will hold the fork in their left hand and the knife in their right. When Americans move to eat something with their fork, they switch hands and hold the fork in the right hand. You'll need to hold your food in place with the fork while cutting it. Pick up and hold the fork as you normally would, likely in your left hand. Place the prongs of the fork into the food you are cutting and hold it in place. With your opposite hand, pick up and hold knife in the same way you did with the fork and begin using it to cut your food. You'll be holding the fork in your left hand and the knife in your right hand. The handles of your fork and knife should rest against the palm of the hand holding them. The pointer fingers should be extended and will rest on the back side of your fork or knife. Once you've gotten a good handle on the fork, you can begin using it to eat. Find a piece of food that is a comfortable size to eat and bring the tines of the fork down into it. Apply just enough pressure to stick the food onto the tines of the fork. Make sure the food is secure and won't fall off the fork when you bring it towards your mouth. Once you feel the food is secure, you can bring it up to your mouth and begin eating it. Move slowly and carefully as you take the food off of the fork with your mouth. If you aren't paying attention, you might miss your mouth, drop the food, make a mess, or even stab yourself. Once the food is near your mouth, use your teeth to gently remove it from the fork and enjoy. You can let wait-staff know if you are done with your meal by placing your silverware in a specific position. Depending on how you put your silverware on your plate, you can indicate that you are still eating a dish or that you are ready to move onto the next. Keep these positions in mind when placing your silverware down between use: Americans will place their silverware at a "10 and 20" position. If the plate was a clock face, the points of the knife or fork will point to "10 o'clock", while the handle points to "20 minutes". In America, place your fork in the center of the plate and your knife above it, leaving a gap between the two. Make sure they are both in the "10 and 20" position to indicate that you are still enjoying the current course. When Americans are finished with a course, they remove the gap between their fork and knife, placing both in the upper right portion of their plates. Keep both the fork and knife in the "10 and 20" position. Europeans will cross their knife and fork in the lower portion of the plate to indicate they are still eating the current course. The points of the fork and knife should be facing away from you. In Europe, placing your utensils in the "10 and 20" position at the plate's center will indicate you are finished with that course.