american eating is funny. they eat almost everything with a fork, and it appears that holding a knife in one's right hand longer than a few seconds is considered to be against good table manners. the system is that if it is absolutely necessary to use a knife, people take the fork in their left hand, and cut off a piece of meat or whatever it is in the normal manner. then they put the knife down, transfer the fork to their right hand, and only then do they transport the food to their mouth.
