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this post was submitted on 09 Nov 2026
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This never made any sense to me. I'm right handed and use my fork in my right hand. It should go on the right side of the plate.
Just because some aristocrats made up some bullshit about "etiquette" hundreds of years ago, doesn't mean it makes any god damn sense, or that we should have to still follow it.
It's because when you use a knife and a fork, which is kind of the opening move of the entree course really, you're using the knife with your right hand and your left hand holding the fork. Pretty simple.
that's absolutely unhinged, why?? i keep my fork in my dominant hand and use the knife with my other hand. I'd go insane switching forking hands like this!
The idea is that you use the knife in your dominant hand, probably because it requires some kind of precision when cutting.
I've found I can be precise enough cutting with my non dominant hand!
but to be fair I suppose I'm also a bassist and keyboardist so I'm extremely accustomed to doing intricate things with both hands??
Not a musician, but same. My left hand is perfectly dexterous enough to handle cutting pieces of food being held with a fork in the other hand. Its not surgery. I don't need my piece of meat to be cut to mm precision.
I'm sorry you were never taught how to use a knife properly
I have zero issues using a knife?
I don't do that though. Fork is always in my right hand when eating. Only time that is swapped is if I am carving a large chunk of meat to serve.
I remember being taught to do it the way you described. But its stupid.
It's not stupid, it's better to use your dominant hand when you're cutting with a knife. It's extremely un stupid. It's the safer and more precise way to cut things.
I agree in most other situations. It just feels unnecessary for cutting food right before eating. The fork in your right hand stabilizes the food being cut. The plate is usually very stable on a table. Of the countless times I have cut myself with a knife I was using for various tasks. Not once has been while cutting food on my plate while eating it.
I am convinced the safety argument is merely an attempt to justify something that is simply a table manners thing decided arbitrarily by some bored noble. The other excuse I have heard for it is that constantly having to put the knife down, and switch fork hands, slows down how fast people eat.