Why the fork-ing question?

[figmo]

When Warren and I go to Mel's in San Francisco, we have always found it peculiar that they serve us pie with an iced tea spoon. We have gotten into the habit of hoarding forks so we don't have to ask for them. We've also noticed most of the table servers and even one of the managers are all foreign-born.

The other day we were at a Denny's where the waitress was also clearly foreign-born. She gave Warren his apple pie (which was not a la mode) with an iced tea spoon as a utensil.

Neither of us grew up eating pie with a spoon -- even if topped with ice cream. Both of us were trained to eat our pies with a fork and find it just wrong to try to use a spoon, especially a long, tiny iced tea spoon. I was asking the question as a sanity-check for both of us.

Comments

[bikergeek.livejournal.com]

wonder if it's a regional thing?

[keristor.livejournal.com]

Well, it's certainly regional in the same sense as DVDs, eating pie with a fork (especially with cream or ice cream on it) seems to me an American abberation, like the American habit of eating the main meal with a fork in the right hand and mostly ignoring the knife. Most Europeans I know use a spoon for dessert and knife and fork for savoury (the main exception being spaghetti where it is twisted round the fork, but a lot of them still use the left hand for that and a spoon in the right).

[kshandra]

Are you saying that utensil positioning is irrelevant to hand-dominance? (Of course, now, after spending the last 15 years sitting across from a left-handed person - and 5 of those spent sitting across from two left-handed people - I cannot for the life of me remember who holds what where.)

Yes

[(Anonymous)]

In terms of traditional etiquette, yes, hand dominance does not come into play.

Cutlery should be arranged with the forks on the left, the knives on the right and a fork and spoon above the plate. The cutlery should be arranged so that the outermost cutlery is used for the first course, then the next set in for the second etc. If you are choosing something different from other people (e.g. a vegetarian option rather than the steak) your cutlery should be amended so you have the correct utensils.

In certain circumstances it is permissable or even advisable to supply specialist cutlery with the particular dish (e.g. snail/winkle pins, soup spoons etc.)

If you've ever sat at a crowded round table at a chinese restaurant and suddenly found that the person next to you is left handed, you'll know the clashes that can happen!

Sorry

[the-magician.livejournal.com]

That was me, not signed in on this machine.

Only place I can boast of this

[capplor.livejournal.com]

I once impressed the heck out of Fred by using my chopsticks left handed. (Kid in lap; it was necessary)

[keristor.livejournal.com]

Yes, hand-dominance is irrelevant in British etiquette, if being formal. However, this is changing, some left-handed people do switch it round and some restaurants will ask (or will be willing to change the setting if asked, especially if told in advance). But there are many left-handed people who eat "right-handed" because they were taught that way and never saw any reason to change (if Americans can eat with a fork in the right hand then they can eat with one in the left).

At home, of course, people do whatever they want ("fingers were made before forks", as my mother said!)

Cultural assumptions ..

[(Anonymous)]

... I kept wondering if there was some cultural significance for why they were chilling your cutlery ... it wasn't until I got to the end I realised you weren't saying they were chilling the tea spoons, but that it was an "iced tea" spoon (doh!)

Me again

[the-magician.livejournal.com]

I forgot to tick the "log in?" box, doh!

[cellio]

I'd find eating pie with a regular spoon a little weird (but if that's the utensil I'm offered, I'll use it); an iced-tea spoon, however, is completely wacky. I wonder where they got the idea and how it's spreading.

[tiggerypum.livejournal.com]

And I like to eat most of my desserts with a _tea_ spoon. I like to have my soup that way too, actually... I use tablespoons in my house for serving stuff. A long handled iced tea spoon, that's weird except for ice cream in one of those tall glass thingies ;)

I honestly don't know if my German mother tended to use teaspoons as dessert implements most of the time or not. Don't know if this was practical (not enough forks, or maybe handing kids spoons made sense) or cultural.

[silverstorm2013.livejournal.com]

growing up we always used forks for eating pie.

I also hold my fork with my left hand when cuting meat and then switch hands to eat it (I.E put kinfe down take the fork from my left hand, put food in mouth, put fork in back in left hand pick up knife repeat)

[judith-s.livejournal.com]

That's because you're an American. We use dessert forks for cakes (I don't think I've ever eaten pie at home).

[kennita.livejournal.com]

I learned in girl's prep school that in Europe they don't switch hands. More efficient that way -- doesn't require putting down and picking up utensils.

[madbodger.livejournal.com]

That's what pastry forks are for! Then again, I often try to cut my food with my fork, and would
prefer to eat everything with a pastry fork!

[singing-phoenix.livejournal.com]

Here in Kenya, dessert of any kind arrives with a spoon, including the fabulous Black Forest cake available at the local Java House.

I assume this is a holdover from colonial days,as I had similar experiences in Ireland and the UK.