Some Think the Weird Way Utahns Use a Fork is Disgusting, But There is a Good Reason

In England there is a proper way to use a fork. You hold it in your left and with the tines pointing down. How come in Utah, which was mostly settled by people from the British aisles and Europe, you never see a fork used in this way? 

People in the Western United States Use a Fork Like a Knife 

The proper way to use a fork and knife in England is the knife in your right hand, no matter which hand is dominant, and the fork in the left. You cut your meat and other food with the knife while using the fork to stab it and bring it to your mouth. 

In Utah and other parts of the west the fork is held in the dominant hand and is often used to cut, scoop, and stab. In fact, the fork often changes hands depending on what needs to happen on the plate. How did these former English subjects develop this way of eating? 

The Answer to Fork Etiquette is Found in How People Got to the West 

The reason the use of utensils changed so much in the western United States has to do with the way people walked across the continent to get here. There was limited space and carrying a knife to eat with wasn’t high on the list. 

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A fork was important and made the trip. This is why in places like Utah you see people turn the fork to the side and use it like a knife. It is also why it jumps from hand to hand doing all the work. Most people who came west only had a fork to eat with. 

Read More: Food Review of the New Mac & Cheese Restaurant in Southern Utah

Once something like this way of using a fork gets established, it tends to stick. We westerners may make etiquette specialists from Europe cringe, but there’s always a reason for why things end up the way they are.