I don't understand eating in America

Ian Gills

Ian Gills

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After living here for six years now, I had the shock of my life yesterday when I was having a Burito lunch at a Mexican restaurant.

I looked around and saw that each and every American would cut up their food with their knife first, before taking the fork in their right hand and eating the lot.

Me, I sat there with a knife in my right hand and a fork in my left. Cutting and forking the food into my mouth as I went along.

Like this:


So why can't you guys eat nicely? Didn't your parents teach you any manners?
 
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Knife and fork for a burrito? Must be one of those big juicy fake ones. Where I come from, to eat a burrito you pick the dang thing up with one hand and chomp into it. That leaves a hand free to squeeze lime into your Corona bottle.
 
How did you lot ever get past your first date?

Yes, I did use a knife and fork to eat a Burrito.

If I ever have a daughter and you have a son old enough to date her and he took her out for a meal and ate like y'all, I'd chase him away with a shot gun.

Manners.
 
Away? It would quite be the opposite, he'd be your son in law in no time flat.
 
You are describing a British and European style of eating. We disassociated ourselves from them a couple of centuries ago. WE do not have to cut with one hand and eat with the other, because we are not in a race to get done first. I'll bet you eat your peas with a knife also. And it has taken you SIX years to notice this? And at a Mexican restaurant at that. You must not eat out very often.
 
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This guy should be on everyone's ignore list. He is on mine.

John
 
lol John I just enjoy the satire he presents. No one could worship such an inbred family such as his royals. Their genes are too low to mix with the gene pool.
 
This is not about the Royals (for once!). It's about being taught to use a knife and fork when eating in the company of others. It seems to have passed most of America by.
 
I also eat fish and chips with one hand, leaving the other free to operate malt vinegar and ale containers as necessary.
 
I cannot believe it. It is possible to temporarily stop eating to consume beer, you know?

As an act of protest, I have just been to one of my favorite restaurants.

Here is the menu, and is one of the very few things (and I will admit) makes the good ol' US of A great:

http://www.cheeseandburger.com/http://cheeseburger.com/menu/main.asp

You just don't get stuff like that anywhere else.

Anyway, I ate an entire burger, onion rings and coleslaw continental style. Yep, even the onion rings were consumed using a knife and fork. I did this to show respect for those American diners around me. They, however, just used their hands instead. Disgusting, and at a place of fine dining too.
 
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You know, Ian, when you are standing at that board running down the wall shoving cod down the hole in your face, shoulder to shoulder with the middling sort, it is best to keep a grip on your brew lest the slacker next to you try to hook it. Oh sure, you could slap his wrist with your fork when he goes for it, but that is unseemly. No, better just to keep it safely in hand.
 
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Ian Gills said:
Anyway, I ate an entire burger, onion rings and coleslaw continental style. Yep, even the onion rings were consumed using a knife and fork. I did this to show respect for those American diners around me. They, however, just used their hands instead. Disgusting, and at a place of fine dining too.
Click to expand...

You did that with a spork at McDonalds? Amazing!
 
Ian Gills said:
After living here for six years now, I had the shock of my life yesterday when I was having a Burito lunch at a Mexican restaurant.

I looked around and saw that each and every American would cut up their food with their knife first, before taking the fork in their right hand and eating the lot.

Me, I sat there with a knife in my right hand and a fork in my left. Cutting and forking the food into my mouth as I went along.

Like this:

[video=youtube;cyuC950XCTI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyuC950XCTI[/video]

So why can't you guys eat nicely? Didn't your parents teach you any manners?
Click to expand...

After a lot of time in Europe it became evident that Americans really are idiots at eating. Always switching hands - silly.

But I use the hybrid method of fork in right hand and knife in left hand, and the Europeans never notice my reversal, and you don't put food up your nose by accident that way, since the important work is the fork hand, which SHOULD be the right hand.
 
It doesn't matter which hand holds the fork.
Half the time I eat with my left, and half with right. I don't even think about it.
I can also do left handed lay-ins all day long until they force me right, which is fine with me.
When I plumb, I normally use both hands at the same time, but doing different things.
When play guitar, I use both hands,
I also bat both left and right.
What's your point anyway?
 
In Europe it definitely matters which hand holds the fork, even if not noticed.

Etiquette is to hold it in the left.

Even for left handers or ambidexrous people like Terry and my brother.
 
Etiquette in a Mexican restaurant...
Thats funny right there...
I usually drive away from the window unwrap it from the paper, hold it in my hand and eat it...
 
Switching hands is just inefficient and messy. Use two hands but use the ones that work best for you. Most Americans would fork that burrito into their eye with a left hand stab.
 
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