“He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.”
– Bible
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Main Course Eating and Cutting Styles
There are two styles for main course eating and cutting. The Continental / European style or American style. Whether eating at a formal dinner or casual restaurant the etiquette is to follow one of the two styles. Good manners suggest to choose the style that the group or party is following (but it is not mandatory). The accepted practice for both styles is to hold the knife with your dominant hand, the right hand for most people and the fork in the left hand. A left-handed person would hold the knife with their left hand.
In both eating and cutting styles one starts to cut the food by holding the knife in the right hand and the fork in the left hand. In the American style once you cut one to two pieces of food, you place your knife at the top of your plate with the sharp edge of the blade facing in and towards you. You then transfer your fork from your left hand into your right hand to eat, for a left-handed person, after cutting your one to two pieces of food, continue to eat as you were; no transferring of the fork is required but is permitted.
American Style Eating
In the American style, the fork tines face up when eating. If you are left-handed, there is no need to change your fork, keep your fork in your right hand, tines facing up.
Continental Style Eating
In the Continental/ European style, you start to cut your meat by holding your knife in your right hand. You hold your food with your fork in your left hand, but at this point fork tines face down.
In Continental/European style you do not transfer your fork to your right hand. Your fork remains in your left hand through dinner and fork tines face down. The only time you put knife down during dinner is for picking up your water or wine glass. You do not scoop food up with the fork since tines should always face down. You use your knife to help put food on your fork .
Always hold the knife sharp edge facing in, cut one to two pieces at a time, cut towards you gently. You may choose any of the two eating and cutting styles at a formal dinner, however, if everyone is using one style you might want to use the same style as everyone.
How To Set Utensils During The Meal
If you need to set fork and knife down during the meal in the American style you put the fork and knife down tine up and knife blade facing inward in a triangle shape.
When using the Continental /European style, you put the utensils down, tines facing down in center of plate forming an “x” shape with the top of fork and knife.
How To Place Utensils When You Are Finished Eating
When you are done and dinner is over, you place the knife and fork diagonally parallel to one another at five o’clock position in the center of the plate. The knife blade always facing inward. In the American style fork tines are up and in the Continental style fork tines are down.