• Switching Hands Europeans typically eat with their left hand and cut with their right. When eating food, they usually put the food in the mouth so that the tines of the fork curve in to the mouth, like a backwards facing "c". When cutting up their meat, they usually cut it into pieces as they go and load the fork up using the knife. The European manner of eating is how children are taught not to eat in the U.S! However, it would be odd, if not rude for an American to criticize any visitor for it.