Quote Originally Posted by Tobus View Post
Lemme guess... in the UK, they hold it with their left hands just like they drive on the left side of the road?
The biggest difference is in how you cut and then eat your food.

In the American side of the pond, while cutting the fork is held in the left hand and the knife in the right. Once the bite is cut off, you set the knife down, transfer the fork to the right hand, and then spear and pass the food with your fork to your mouth.

On the European side, once the food is cut, you retain hold of both utensils and transfer the food to your mouth with the fork in the left hand.

This is, of course, a generalization, but fairly accurate. I have heard of tales where undercover American spies were suspected because they ate holding the fork wrong (no idea of the validity of this).


As far as the utensils set above the plate, I have always read that those are for dessert. But, again, that practice is far from universal.