Usa Dagger

Why do people in the USA hold their forks like a dagger?

We are touring Italy and many people are also here from the USA. At the dinner table they hold their forks like daggers. this is most unusual and I would like to know who taught them to do this.
Is it accepted etiquette in the land of the free?

I’m in USA and I’ve seen people eat as you have described and wondered about it myself until recently. My daughter-in-law told a story about her cousin and how he held his fork and her theory as to why he ate this way did make some sense. He practically raised himself. Nobody took the time to teach him how to behave properly. As long as he was not getting into things or otherwise misbehaving, his parents paid little attention to him. I suspect this is the case with a lot of folks that hold their forks as you described. By the time they are old enough to realize that most folks don’t eat that way, the habit is too hard to break. The same goes for talking with your mouth full, elbows on the table, reaching across the table instead of asking someone to pass you something, and all the other gross things people do at meal time.

It’s a shame that otherwise intelligent individuals don’t bother to teach their children good manners.

FIBAU19 – Late dagger three by Vladislav Trushkin kills USA dreams of gold