Elbows on the table

[DanaC]

I also ignore the American custom of switching the fork and knife back and forth from hand to hand when cutting meat and putting the pieces in my mouth.

I wasn't aware of that custom.

[glatt]

Originally Posted by DanaC

I wasn't aware of that custom.

It's very stupid.

The Zig Zag Method
By American custom, which was brought about partly by the late introduction of the fork into the culture, all three utensils are intended for use primarily with the right hand, which is the more capable hand for most people. This leads to some complicated maneuvering when foods, such as meat, require the use of knife and fork to obtain a bite of manageable size. When this is the case, the fork is held in the left hand, turned so that the tines point downward, the better to hold the meat in place while the right hand operates the knife. After a bite-sized piece has been cut, the diner sets the knife down on the plate and transfers the fork to the right hand, so that it can be used to carry the newly cut morsel to the mouth. Emily Post calls this the "zig-zag" style.

[Sundae]

Originally Posted by DanaC

I wasn't aware of that custom.

Really?
I've never seen it, but read about it lots. Bill Bryson mentions it for example...
I remember a friend coming round to dinner, leaning on one elbow and eating only with her fork. My Mum dismissed it as "that's what the Americans do" as if she'd sunk about as low as she could go We were only about 11, so table manners were a big thing, and the way you behaved in front of other people's parents was a sign of respect - in this case a perceived lack of.

I've always been allowed my elbows on the table when relaxing and talking before and after the meal. Unless Nan was there. Then she'd bore us with stories of her strict Grnadmother who would whack them across the kuckles with her metal topped cane or say, "Joints on the table will be carved, cooked or not" while brandishing a carving knife! We never had elbows on the table while eating though.

I suppose it shows a slovenly attitude with is disrespectful both to company and to the cook.

[Urbane Guerrilla]

Originally Posted by DanaC

I wasn't aware of that custom.

It's an internationally famous Americanism. You can tell the Americans across the restaurant by watching how they handle their forks. They never turn them over unless they've been learning Euro-style.

It's one way not to eat your meat in a big hurry so your brain's hunger center has time to catch up with your stomach, with salubrious results for the waistline.