Why do we eat with our forks in our left hand?

Question

I was always told to eat "proper" and place my fork in my right hand and knife in my left. Does anybody know where this derives from?

Answer 1

Actually, you can use both. You can cut your meat with your right hand while holding it in place with your fork in your left, and then eating that cut piece. (Although this is considered strange by some.)

The other way is to cut a few pieces of meat, then lay the knife down and switch your fork over to your right hand to eat. But you can only cut 2 or 3 pieces at a time to eat. Any more is considered a sign of bad manners as well.

Personally, I think everyone should be able to eat the way they are most comfortable. We aren't such slaves to proper "etiquette" the way they were in the 50's, and this is a good thing.

Answer 2

Wow now those are a lot of answers most of which aren't entirely right, first of all it's forks on the left only if you're right handed because if you're using a knife it is more conveinent for cutting food, and people switch because it makes it easier to eat, left handed people have the fork on the right, and people that are abridextrous it leave it fork on the left, and they don't swap at all, it has nothing to do with manners it's not something your taught (I mean the fork swapping thing) it's just a natural thing; take it from the person that was born and raised in America, who's family has been here since the days of the colonies, you people are making it sound as though our culture is something super complicated; granted we do make things a bit more complicated than the rest of the world with how we measure and stuff like that, but it's simple enough, and don't let things confuse you when it comes to eating, if it's not a proper dinner party then how you eat doesn't matter so long as you know you're not licking your plate and chewing with your mouth open. Believe me the varience on how things are done are less of a varience from class and more of a varience from region of the country, someone from the West will not eat the same from someone from New England, same with the South, the Middle East. Yes I'm also aware how long ago this question was asked, but I saw it and some of the answers and decided to answer anyways with a more accurate answer, it's a bit like what SB said, it's not that big of a deal, though the not big on table manners thing, that's more on the individual person themself, but we are rather lenient on how you hold the fork and other silverware, but don't burp at the table, use a napkin not your sleeve, and yes elbows off the table, nd again don't chew with your mouth wide open, and don't talk with it full, don't slurp, and most important of all, a lot of american families may not even eat as a family at the table every meal.

Answer 3

For right handed Americans, most people will hold the fork in the left hand to stabilize the meat and cut with the knife in the right hand because the right hand is dominant. This means they must then shift the fork to the right hand to get the bite from the plate to the mouth. Europeans will however frequently keep the fork in the left hand as they lift the food to the mouth. Europeans also will often load food on the back of the fork with the knife. They make fun of Americans who cross switch the fork. Why do we do this ? Like many proper manners, it is done in polite society.

Answer 4

Yes, it derives from Americans eating like babies. In England our mums stop cutting up our food for us when we are about 3 or 4 and after that we use a knife and fork, cut the food and eat it.

It seems in the USA that holding a knife AND fork is either too heavy or difficult to co-ordinate so a majority of our American cousins appear to cut their food up first then change the fork over to the right hand to eat it.

The place setting in any respectable restaurant will prove that this sloppy way to eat is wrong, but it does leave the left hand free to gesture as an accompaniment to talking through a mouthfull of food or for the less energetic the left elbow can be used as a support throughout the meal.

Answer 5

Since most people are right-handed, in America you are supposed to put the "active" utensil in your dominant hand - when cutting, put your knife in your right hand; when sipping, put your spoon in your right hand; when picking up food with your fork, put the fork in your right hand. It gives you better control, and once you've finished cutting your food, there's no point holding onto your knife for the next hour. I don't know why you would ever put your knife in your left hand (which is clumsier and could lead to accidents) unless you are left-handed.

But ultimately it is arbitrary and just tradition, and everyone should do what amkes them the most comfortable. In England they keep the fork in their left hand, and I've seen many Americans do the same(although it's considered a little uncouth). Do whatever you're comfortable with, unless you're at a formal dinner.

Answer 6

I learned once that the old pioneers that emmigrated to other lands such as North America used their utensiles as generations before them did - the way most everyone still uses them there, cut up the meat, then transfer fork to right hand and shovel the food in. Then, during Victorian times I believe, the French started the fashion of fork in left hand and knife in right hand. The rest of Europe soon followed suit, but North Americans stuck with the old way.

Answer 7

The fork is a fairly recent utensil. Not too long ago, you would eat with a knife and your free hand. Naturally, the knife should be held in the dominant hand (usually the right)

Answer 8

I assume you mean fork in the left hand, knife in the right.
I think that this tradition has a pretty practical beginning: most people are right-handed, and therefore using the knife with the right hand gives you more cutting accuracy (and therefore safety). The fork isn't as dangerous, so you can handle it with your weaker hand.

Answer 9

All right handed people are taught as children to eat "properly" (forks in left hand) by our parents, I believe it came from a French King who was naturally left handed (so fork in left hand)so as to guide the food to his mouth without stabbing his face, and so became the fashion to follow and still is. All Left handed people use forks AND spoons in the same hand. To all you right handed people out there, WHAT HAND DO YOU USE FOR A SPOON?

Answer 10

Most people are right handed.
Before they used forks, people used to cut their food up with a knife that they used in the right hand.