Hamburger etiquette

[Foxyman1961]

Hi all, thought I start a thread on hamburger etiquette as I am interested in your views. I am currently on holiday on the beautiful island of Naxos in Greece. I was intrigued by something I saw today and thought I'd get you guys views. Went to a Taverna lunchtime and happen to order a cheese burger, as I was doing so a party of American tourists arrived and virtually ordered the same thing. The burgers arrived and I was amazed to see several of the American party ask for knives and forks to eat ths burger with, I always thought that Americans considered this sacrilege, have I got this wrong? Seen so many American TV shows over the years that I thought I'd check. Anyway had a great burger which I did eat with my hands. By the way I did hear one of the party say they came from New York so maybe its something that happens there.

 

[Jaybifla]

Hi all, thought I start a thread on hamburger etiquette as I am interested in your views. I am currently on holiday on the beautiful island of Naxos in Greece. I was intrigued by something I saw today and thought I'd get you guys views. Went to a Taverna lunchtime and happen to order a cheese burger, as I was doing so a party of American tourists arrived and virtually ordered the same thing. The burgers arrived and I was amazed to see several of the American party ask for knives and forks to eat ths burger with, I always thought that Americans considered this sacrilege, have I got this wrong? Seen so many American TV shows over the years that I thought I'd check. Anyway had a great burger which I did eat with my hands. By the way I did hear one of the party say they came from New York so maybe its something that happens there.

I eat a fast food hamburger with my hands for sure. I might use a knife in a sit down restaurant to cut a big burger in half, but I still eat the halves with my hands. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen any of my friends eat a hamburger with a fork though. But I’m sure some do. I use a knife and fork with pizza sometimes.

 

[oldfart63]

That's an interesting story, Foxyman. I hope you're enjoying Greece. It could be a couple of reasons. I know when I'm presented with an unusually tall or well dressed burger I'll use a knife and fork. Otherwise when I bit into it a good portion falls out the back of the bun. Another might be that they've traveled through other countries where picking up your food with your hands is considered ill-mannered. I once had a friend who was travelling through Germany. She stopped at one restaurant and ordered a sandwich. When she got it she immediately picked it up and began to eat it when she noticed that everyone was staring at her! That's how she learned to eat a sandwich with a knife and fork. Of course, that was a number of years ago. I don't know if that's still the case with the proliferation of fast food restaurants.

 

[Mediarahan]

I'll say i don't use knife and fork to eat burger, i'll just use my hand..if the burger too big i'll cut it half like jay said then proceed with my hand. Also do you know how the proper way to hold burger? So you hold the burger with both hand only with your 4 fingers and then put your little fingers under the burger so it won't slide off

As oldy (i don't like to call you oldfart,sound weird) said, different country has different manner. In Indonesia we make noise when we eat something soupy (but i'm not), the opposite of america. Either way you need to follow rules when eating, but if you comfortable doing your own thing there's a take away option and you can eat in your room whatever you want while watchil netflix ahaha

 

[Observer]

I agree with Oldfart63 about maybe it is a different manner used in other countries. I have traveled and lived in Europe extensively for 40+ years and it is customary to eat sandwiches and burgers with a knife and fork. However there is nothing wrong with picking it up and eating it with your hands either. just enjoy the food.

 

[mikeyank]

By the way I did hear one of the party say they came from New York so maybe its something that happens there.

As a life long New Yorker, I can assure you Foxyman, that it DOES NOT happen in New York. lol

 

[Repareur]

As a life long New Yorker, I can assure you Foxyman, that it DOES NOT happen in New York. lol

Sure as hell doesn’t happen in Texas!

 

[Rafe]

Sure as hell doesn’t happen in Texas!

And it goes with out saying, we barely give it time to jump out of its skin in redneckville Pennsylvania....lololololol....Around here the saying is "Slap it on the ass, run it thru the fire and catch it on a bun on the other side"...lolololol.....Nothing beats a seared rare burger, with a thick slice of onion...makes my taste buds cheer.....Oh, and of course an ice cold Yuengling Lager....

 

[Wylie1]

When I was stationed in Portugal back in the 80's, friends who were Portuguese always ate hamburgers with a knife and fork. While I will eat a hamburger with my hands, fried chicken, ribs, and pizza are knife and fork items. When I was on the USS Midway, I would eat the chicken that way, and of course the guys I worked with gave it a try - once. You really have to practice it for it to be normal.

 

[mikeyank]

When I was stationed in Portugal back in the 80's, friends who were Portuguese always ate hamburgers with a knife and fork. While I will eat a hamburger with my hands, fried chicken, ribs, and pizza are knife and fork items. When I was on the USS Midway, I would eat the chicken that way, and of course the guys I worked with gave it a try - once. You really have to practice it for it to be normal.

In New York, we never eat pizza either with a knife and fork!

This is how we eat it here! LOL

 

[MusicMikey]

As a life long New Yorker, I can assure you Foxyman, that it DOES NOT happen in New York. lol

I have news for you. And I live in NYC. I always cut my burger in quarters and eat the quarters with my fingers. Always. No one ever gave me the hairy eyeball for it.

 

[mikeyank]

I have news for you. And I live in NYC. I always cut my burger in quarters and eat the quarters with my fingers. Always. No one ever gave me the hairy eyeball for it.

Well, not in the hamburger joints I go to in Brooklyn, we don't! LOL But to each his own. Enjoy!

 

[Foxyman1961]

Thanks guys for all the great replies sorry for the delay in replying but no WIFI here on Naxos for a couple of days. Great to hear from many of you that hand holding the burger is the right way I'm the US.Take on board all the other comments about how to eat a burger in other countries. Going back to same Taverna today to have a cheese burgers and will eat with my hands lol

 

[stowe1]

In New York, we never eat pizza either with a knife and fork!

This is how we eat it here! LOL

And the bigger the slice the better, right mikey? - lol !!!

 

[stowe1]

First of all, if I'm in a "fancy" restaurant I wouldn't order a hamburger anyway!

Secondly, if I'm in a bar which serves food or a run of the mill average restaurant, I'd eat a hamburger with my hands unless it was too big. Then I'd cut it in half and eat each half with my hands.

I've never been served a hamburger that was too big to be cut in anything other than half.

 

[mikeyank]

And the bigger the slice the better, right mikey? - lol !!!

Indeed Stowe, my friend. Spoken like the honorary New Yorker that you are!

 

[stowe1]

Indeed Stowe, my friend. Spoken like the honorary New Yorker that you are!

Thanks, mikey. You should run for Mayor, win, and then you can give me the key to the City - lol !!!

 

[Rafe]

Well I'm truly a redneck, Hell I never even thought of cutting a burger in pieces to eat it.....just grab the dang thing and chow down....lolol

 

[tampa24]

Hi all, thought I start a thread on hamburger etiquette as I am interested in your views. I am currently on holiday on the beautiful island of Naxos in Greece. I was intrigued by something I saw today and thought I'd get you guys views. Went to a Taverna lunchtime and happen to order a cheese burger, as I was doing so a party of American tourists arrived and virtually ordered the same thing. The burgers arrived and I was amazed to see several of the American party ask for knives and forks to eat ths burger with, I always thought that Americans considered this sacrilege, have I got this wrong? Seen so many American TV shows over the years that I thought I'd check. Anyway had a great burger which I did eat with my hands. By the way I did hear one of the party say they came from New York so maybe its something that happens there.

Hey Foxy man,

I'm a bit late to the party here but I concur with my other friends here. I don't know that I've ever seen Americans routinely eat burgers with a knife and fork. Every once in a great while I have been served a huge burger which is too big and too tall to be comfortably eaten by hand. And I've had to resort to knife and fork only when the whole thing has started to fall apart and risked making my hands a mess. But here in the States a burger is typically eaten by hand.


One of the hardest things for more to adjust to when I lived in Europe for a year as far as table manners, was to learn to eat with my fork upside down in the left hand. Here in the States we typically eat with the fork right-side-up in our right hands. And that's regardless of whether we're right handed or not. But in Europe that's seen as very uncultured and even rude. It took me a few weeks of practice to get used to not dropping some of my food with the tines of the fork upside down. haha

 

[Rafe]

I know this is slightly off the subject of Hamburg Etiquette, but with Tampa showing the different styles of fork use, My great grammy used 2 knifes to eat...no spoon or fork, just 2 knifes....the blades were approx 4.5 inches long, about 1 inch wide and they both had a rounded end...meat, potatoes, peas, didn't matter, she ate everything with those 2 knifes....Yes she was Pennsylvania Dutch....We always just called her Mamie.....