WELL. Since we seem to going completely overboard on this utensil-handling analysis and are doing statistical research now...
• I am 'Merican (originally from southern California)
• I am right-handed
• For steak and similar hunks of meat and such things, I keep the knife in my right hand, fork in my left hand, holding both utensils with the pommel against the center of my palm, index finger running down the back of the fork/spine of the knife blade, and the concave surface of the fork pointed down at the plate. I cut as I go along, don't switch hands, and don't reposition the fork in my hand while eating. I was taught this to be the "proper" way of doing things (also ninja'd by Bp92009); I don't really care about that, but in terms of simple mechanics it makes enough sense.
• For most other food, anything soft enough to be cut with the edge of the fork, fork goes in right hand, left hand is unaccounted for, probably using a laptop or something.
• Spoons are for soup. I know that's obvious but we're being
thorough here, right? Right.
• Chopsticks are obligatory for southeast Asian or faux-Asian cuisine.
• Miscellanea: My mother uses a spoon in her left hand as a surface against which to twirl spaghetti noodles around her fork.* My father uses a knife to cut his spaghetti up in a manner similar to steak, thoroughly cutting it up before switching back to fork only and consuming said food. I only use a fork for spaghetti and tend to look like a moron when I eat it.
• I am not polite company. (I'm from southern California, remember?) I have never given a single
flying fuck serious consideration as to whether or not I'm doing things the polite and/or "proper" way, and also intentionally set the table with all utensils on the right-hand side of the plate because god dammit I'm right handed and the "proper" place setting is silly.
• 80% of my diet is pizza, for which the use of utensils is sacrilege and serves only to invoke the wrath of the gods.
• I'll leave you with
this thought.
*This is what it looks to me like Emily's dad is doing, but that doesn't make terribly much sense since they aren't eating spaghetti.ANYWAY.The thing I'm surprised by is that Emily's parents didn't say anything about her chopping off all her hair.