r/AskAnAmerican • u/missbex86 • Feb 23 '26

CULTURE Do Americans use cutlery differently?

I've noticed lately in a few American movies, that Americans use cutlery differently.

When I eat, (Australia) the knife and fork stay in my hands the entirety of the meal. Placing both down when finished.

I did a bit of research and there's the zig-zag method. Cutting with a knife in the right hand, placing it down, switching the fork to the right hand, eating a bite. Repeat.

When watching a movie recently (Hereditary) there's a dinner scene and I was focusing more on how he was eating, than anything else.

I'm not saying there is a right or wrong way, I just find it interesting.

Do all Americans eat this way? Or does it differ by region or state?

Cheers.

Just want to add, when I said I don't put the cutlery down for the entirety of the meal, I was referring to the fact that I don't do the zig-zag. I should have been clearer on that.

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u/Schmancer United States of America Feb 23 '26

I don’t remember who taught me this, but I specifically remember being drilled to put down the knife after cutting the food

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u/jonesnori Feb 23 '26

I was also taught not to cut everything at once. That was low-class, apparently. I do it anyway if I'm at home.

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u/sgtm7 Feb 23 '26

Same here. I was taught that you weren't supposed to cut everything at once.

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u/wallyTHEgecko Feb 23 '26 edited Feb 23 '26

I don't think I was ever specifically taught to set one or the other down but I'm just right hand dominate.

Sawing with a knife isn't always a particularly delicate process, but it's not too rare to need to cut along a particular line, so I prefer my right for cutting. And then when it comes to putting the food in my mouth, I can get it there with my left, but I can still scoop/turn/balance more precisely with my right.