J . M A I L

American vs. Continental

Both are perfectly correct, and neither is preferable to the other. It is important, however, to be consistent.

American Style

The knife is used for cutting only. It is held in the right hand to help control the object being cut. The knife is then put down on the edge of the plate (blade facing in), and the fork is switched to the right hand to lift the cut piece to the mouth. The tines of the fork face upward when bringing food to the mouth. Hands are in the lap when not being used. Americans are the only people in the world who use this basically inefficient style of dining.

Continental Style

The knife remains in the right hand and the fork in the left hand. After the food is cut, the knife is used to push it onto the fork. The prongs of the fork face downward when the cut food is lifted to the mouth unless the type of food – peas or creamed food, for example – requires a different tactic. The hands remain above the table from the wrist up when they are not in use.

The resting position is used when you want to pause during a course. In this case, the knife and fork are crossed on the plate, with the fork over the knife and the prongs pointing down. The knife should be in the 10:20 position, and fork (prongs down and over the knife) should be at the 2:40 position.

Try to finish each course at about the same time as others around you. When you are finished with a course, you should indicate that. Here’s how: Visualize a clock face on your plate. Place both the knife and fork in about the 10:20 position with the points at 10 and the handles at 20. The prongs of the fork should be down and the blade of the knife should face you.

Taken from - http://www.dtcc.edu/owens/cpp/pdfs/etiquette.pdf

I learned something new today. BTW I eat American style and I am sticking to it.