Why Americans only use a fork to eat.
This explains a lot …. except, I am not sure it does … read carefully … and ask yourself if you would come to the same conclusion?
@JohnPhilpin it smells strongly of bullshytte to me. It doesn’t explain the voluble stupidity of cutting with the knife, often with the fork used correctly (tines down) then SWAPPING HANDS and using the fork incorrectly as a spoon.
@dgold @johnphilpin That was rather my reaction, too. I just didn't follow the logic (or lack thereof).
@JohnPhilpin I rather like how they do it in Thailand. Fork in left hand, spoon in right hand, knife mostly not needed. The chef does the cutting while cooking. Eating is done with the spoon in right hand & it does some cutting as needed. Fork in left hand is for sliding food into the spoon for eating.
@dgold my sincere and humble apologies sir ... some of your dialogue in here had me down that track .... my error .... and let me rephrase that ....
@JohnPhilpin I read this and it sounded like nonsense to me. 🤷🏼♀️ I don’t see a connection between his data and his thesis.
@dgold @JohnPhilpin The only explanation I can give is that is how kids saw their parents doing it and did it the same as they grew. Growing up in the Southern US, table manners meant behaving yourself at the eating table, not how to use the utensils.
@JohnPhilpin lolol!
No need to apologise. Not like you said that Ireland was still part of the UK or anything, like some people.
@jmreekes That's... not an excuse 😆
Its so colossally inefficient. I couldn't believe it the first time I saw an American do it - and this was at some Ninky-nonk Black-Tie sort of do.
It makes no sense at all. 😕
@Ron think that's common across most of SE Asia, including SW India, Bangladesh and the Phillipines (least I've seen it done there, I make no claim to cultural appropriation or intense knowledge)
@JohnPhilpin @dgold Nice. I'm only half English, but didn't like to say so. The other half is Welsh, so kinda used to being lumped in with the invaders. 😇
@dgold Absolutely! Sadly, even after studying Welsh for a year at University it's not a language I found at all easy.
@JohnPhilpin my grandmother is Canadian ("British Canadian" according to her) and grew up in Vancouver. she uses utensils the european way and is largely responsible for my etiquette. i tend to "code switch" in a way, adopting the eating style of who i'm with.
i worked at a british company for 15 years. and then 4 at a german company. being able to "switch off" my american-isms was always an asset.
at home i eat like a european.
@vanessa Philpin is a welsh name (Pembrokeshire). I lived in Bridgend as a kid for two years ... where my sister was born.
@JohnPhilpin 👍 I lived in Cardiff, but as a student. My Mum's family were from the Brynmawr/Nantyglo area. Many happy memories of childhood holidays with all the great-aunts and uncles (my Nan was one of 13).
@isaiah interesting that non Americans see descriptors like ‘British Canadian’ as odd ... but across the border ... African American, Italian American or ‘American’ but of ‘xyz ’ decent... all perfectly normal ...
@JohnPhilpin i dunno. i only used quotes because usually when i say that people look confused by what i mean.
@JohnPhilpin I realized that even though I am American I eat European style I don't cut and switch. I am not sure where I picked it up, but I also can't remember doing it any other way.