Phred wrote:
>
> I'm happy to be shown I'm wrong, but the impression we have here in Oz
> is that "Americans" chop stuff up, then switch the fork to the other
> hand to shovel the bits into the mouth. Are you saying they do this
> one bite at a time? Or have I got my ethnics mixed?


Standard procedure is to put the fork in the left and knife in the
right. Cut one bite of food. Put the knife on the side of the plate,
switch the fork to the right, put the left in the lap, then put one bite
of food in the mouth. Chew slowly with mouth closed while returning
cutlery to their original fork in left, knife in right positions and
repeat. This thread shows that's not the only way Americans do it, but
that's standard for a great many of us. You can see why it's considered
awkward if you're not used to it. It's an awful lot of moving the
silverware around, but that's the way I learned, and it's very normal
and ordinary for most of us.


--Lia