Fish and Meat

With a whole fish, start by cutting into the top fillet and eating it. Then slide your knife under the backbone, steady it with your fork, lift it away and set it at the far side of the plate. Don’t turn the fish over — simply eat the lower fillet. A fish knife is designed less for cutting than for separating and lifting the flesh.

Cut meat one bite at a time, starting from the left. Cutting it all at once lets the juices run and the meat cool faster (in the U.S., many diners cut a few pieces and then switch the fork to the right hand). Bone-in meat is also eaten with knife and fork, cutting the meat away along the bone.

If you end up with a small bone or a piece of gristle you can’t chew, don’t force it down. Lightly shield your mouth with one hand and remove it. Ease gristle or cartilage onto the fork that brought it to your mouth. Fish bones are hard to catch on a fork, so taking them out with your fingertips is perfectly proper. Place whatever you remove at the edge of your plate — never in your napkin.