Dining etiquette in the UK

There seem to be a lot of little differences relating to dining etiquette in the UK, and I was wondering if anyone whose been here a bit longer can help summarise? Some things I've noticed:

• People seem to knife and fork -everything- here. My wife and I almost fell out of our chair LOLing when we saw people doing this to a hamburger (I don't think we'll ever bring ourselves to this), but I'm guessing it's 'improper' to eat pizza like an American? Should we generally assume that everything needs to touch a knife and fork before our mouths? =)
• At Asian restaurants, they seem to use rice bowls here. I've never seen this in the States and, in the several months off-and-on I've spent in China, never seen it there, either. (perhaps it's a Cantonese/HK thing?) Is it improper to hold the bowl in your hand and bring it closer to your mouth? Eating rice with chopsticks is difficult enough without having to carry it all that distance. =)
  
• Unrelated, and this probably isn't any different than in the States, but what do you do with chutneys? I've been eating Indian for years, but it was fairly rare that I'd get served a tray of chutneys in the US and never really figured out what they were for (other than dabbing on poppadoum (sp)).
  

Any other subtle or large differences people have noticed that would make us look like cretins to the locals? =)

It probably depends on the area & the crowd to where you're eating for dining etiquette, or maybe up here in the North everyone's just a little less "uppity" and more ill mannered.   

I come from an European family and they eat with knives and forks and so I learned from a young age, but chose to eat like an American around friends and my parents were pretty lax as well.

I can't say I've ever seen anyone eat a hamburger with knife & fork before.  Hands all the way!  Same for pizza.  Where are you dining by chance?  Surely you're not eating at McDonald's or Pizza Hut.   

Chutneys are just another condiment in my opinion.  They just have so many different varieties.  Kind of like Cranberry Sauce / Jelly, Mint Jelly etc.  You can eat it on a sandwich, or a salad (think Ploughman's - can be a salad or a sandwich), on Popadums like you mentioned.  The possibilities are endless, just like the flavours.  If you ever go to a church fair or a farmer's / Christmas market you'll probably find someone will have made a whole slew of hommade chutneys with all sorts of scrummy ingredients.  Personally, I like Pineapple.     You can also put chutney on ritz crackers with a bit of cheddar or camembert cheese as an hors d'oeuvre or snack.   

I can't say I've ever seen anyone eat a hamburger with knife & fork before.  Hands all the way!  Same for pizza.  Where are you dining by chance?  Surely you're not eating at McDonald's or Pizza Hut.   

I'm in central London, so it's probably a bit more uppity. =) The pizza thing has been at a number of places - Pizza Express, some Italian restaurants, and even Pizza Hut. I haven't seen the knife/fork thing for hamburgers at fast food joints, but we've seen it a number of times at actual restaurants (most recently, 'Gourmet Burger Kitchen' at Westfield Mall). Are mall restaurants around here considered posh? =)

Thanks for the advice on the chutneys. I had heard they were intended as 'mix-ins' to your main entrée, but I think the way of using them you describe is probably more akin to how I'd use them.

Somewhere here is a looooong thread on using cutlery with fast food.

Vicky

I've already said this on another thread, but I'm American and live in the States and eat pizza with a knife and fork. It's just less messy that way. Hamburgers, I would eat with my hands though.

Also the Pizza at Pizza Express and most Italian restaurants is Italian style thin-crust pizza, served un-cut.  You can't just pick up a slice, hence the knife and fork.

Also the Pizza at Pizza Express and most Italian restaurants is Italian style thin-crust pizza, served un-cut.  You can't just pick up a slice, hence the knife and fork.

Folding FTW. =) Tastes better that way, too, in my opinion. But the knife and fork thing for pizza doesn't strike me as too odd, I was mostly perplexed by it being done with hamburgers and was more generally wondering "knife + fork = everywhere"?

I am American, and I too eat pizza with knife and fork.  Not sure why - maybe it just stops me from wolfing it down quickly as I would when eating with my hands

I have noticed that my BF eats chips with a fork, but a hamburger is always picked up and eaten.

My guess is you came across some extra-posh folks who think it makes them even posher to eat a hamburger with knife and fork!  Now I'm curious - the next veggie burger I eat, I am going to give it a shot the "posh" way

I can't say I've ever seen anyone eat a hamburger with knife & fork before. 

In a restaurant, i would eat a burger with a knife and fork, just because it's cleaner and neater.   Fast food... who cares!?

I use knife and fork for pizza as well, for the same reason... tidiness.


I'm not posh or 'uppity'.  I just like to be clean.

i eat a burger with a knife and fork, just because it's cleaner and neater.
And I'm not 'uppity'.

For pizza it just depends.  Sometimes I do sometimes I don't.  When I'm home in NYC it's almost always a don't!!!!
I don't usually eat the bun when I have a burger, so I use a knife and fork.

But I'm extremely 'uppity'  so there you go

I don't usually eat the bun when I have a burger, so I use a knife and fork.

I only eat the bottom bun... the top one usually gets cast aside.  So yeah... you cant eat that with your hands.

In a restaurant, i would eat a burger with a knife and fork, just because it's cleaner and neater.   Fast food... who cares!?

I use knife and fork for pizza as well, for the same reason... tidiness.


I'm not posh or 'uppity'.  I just like to be clean.

Same here. I don't like stuffing food into my mouth and getting grease and sauce all over the sides of my mouth.

So it sounds like Brits are an overly fastidious lot, that explains it.

(hides)

=)

But these replies were from Americans!!!! 

Look, it's not rocket science.  Where are you eating?  If it is a standard burger joint (Wimpy, McD's) use your hands if you want.  If it is a burger or a pizza but you got it from a five star restaurant, use cutlery.

Just see what others are doing.  It's not worth losing sleep over.

Vicky

Well here the pizza crust tends to be too thin to be able to pick it up with your hands and eat it, so I tend to use a knife and fork to eat pizza here.

But if I'm back in a New Jersey or New York pizzeria, I tend to pick up that slice of pizza, fold it and have at it just like that. Man, I think I would kill for that kind of pizza again. The huge kind with the cheese and the grease just oozing off it.

Hamburger, I just pick it up and eat it. I'd laugh if I see someone eating a hamburger with a fork and knife, what's the point of having a roll then?

I just say eat whichever way is most comfortable. It's not like anyone will be eating with the Queen or anything like that. I live in rural Norfolk anyway, so I'm not worried, the local Norfolk country bumpkins are pretty slovenly bunch.

As long as people don't chew with their mouths open. I absolutely hate it when people chew with their mouth open.