Cross cultural understanding: a handbook to understand others’ cultures

3.
 
Fork 
Tables are often set with two or more forks, meant 
to be used for different courses; for example, a salad fork, 
a meat fork, and a dessert fork. It should not be necessary 

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130 | Cross Cultural Understanding 
for the diner to distinguish between types of forks; forks 
are used in order from outside to inside. 
Once the meal begin, utensils should never touch the 
table, as no one enjoys the site of a soiled tablecloth. It's 
improper to even allow the handle of a utensil to touch 
the table while the other end rests on the plate. 
Figure 10.2: fork handling 
 
When used in conjunction with a knife to cut and 
consume food in Western social settings, two forms of 
fork etiquette are common. The European style, also 
called the Continental style, is to hold the fork in the left 
hand and the knife in the right. Once a bite-sized piece of 
food has been cut, it is conducted straight to the mouth by 
the left hand. For other food items, such as potatoes, 

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Cross Cultural Understanding | 131 
vegetables or rice, the blade of the knife is used to assist or 
guide placement of the food on the back of the fork. The 
tines remain pointing down. The knife and fork are both 
held with the handle running along the palm and 
extending out to be held by thumb and forefinger. This 
style is sometimes called "hidden handle" because the 
palm conceals the handle. 
When talking, drinking or excusing yourself from the 
table between bites ("resting position"), the knife and fork 
are crossed in the center of the plate, fork tines pointed 
down. 
Figure 10.3: Continental fork signal 
 
In the American style, also called the 
zig-zag method
or 
fork switching
, the knife is initially held in the right hand 
and the fork in the left. Holding food to the plate with the 
fork tines-down, a single bite-sized piece is cut with the 
knife. The knife is then set down on the plate, the fork 

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132 | Cross Cultural Understanding 
transferred from the left hand to the right hand, and the 
food is brought to the mouth for consumption. The fork is 
then transferred back to the left hand and the knife is 
picked up with the right. In contrast to the Continental 
hidden handle grip, in the American style the fork is held 
much like a spoon or pen once it is transferred to the right 
hand to convey food to the mouth. In resting position, set 
the fork so that the tines are facing up and balance the 
knife on the right side of plate. 
Figure 10.4: American fork signal 
 
When a course is complete, place any utensils meant 
for that course on the plate, whether or not they were 
used. For example, if during the salad course you don't 
use your knife, it still goes on the plate at the end of the 
course. If you don't put it on the plate, the waiter will do 
it for you.

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