A fork and knife is a must-have for any dining event. The fork and knife set is an important eating utensil that has been around for ages.
It consists two pieces – the knife and the fork, which are used to assist in cutting food into smaller pieces before eating it.
In this post, we’ll talk about why do forks go on the left?
Let’s find out!
Why Do Forks Go On The Left?
Europeans started this and it’s still followed today by a lot of people. Most of the people enjoy putting fork on their left because they’re left handers and thus they should keep it on the left.
Besides that, Europeans put them on the left side because they like ti this way regardless of they’re left handers or not.
But, it’s not a set rule and you can’t break it if you keep your fork on the right side instead. In fact, if you’re more comfortable eating with your right hand you should keep fork on the right and not left.
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1. Europeans Started The Trend
European dining customs are different from North American. Europeans started the trend that forks must go on the left, not the right. This is true for most of Europe and is a tradition they brought with them to North America when they immigrated.
In medieval Europe, table manners were simple—you ate with your hands. In 12th century France, three important changes occurred in dining customs: the use of spoons, knives and forks came into vogue, and people began sitting around a table rather than on the floor.
2. Not Something That You Must Follow
Eating utensils are an important part of any meal, so it is only natural to want to put them in the right place. But what if we told you that there was no universal standard for placing these items on the table?
The reason for this is simple: convention. There’s no real reason why forks go on the left and knives and spoons on the right—it’s just a convention that has stuck with us through history. The placement of these eating utensils takes into account the “right-handedness” of most people as well as religious purposes.
However, it’s not something that you must follow.
3. Do It Your Own Way
How to put the dinner fork on the left or right side of your plate depends on where you live, and it’s often a point of contention at dinner parties.
The popular opinion is that you eat with your dominant hand, so if you’re right-handed, you place your utensils on the right of your plate.
There’s no set rule and thus you can follow your own way instead of following the tradition.