A former royal butler has insisted the only way to eat a hamburger is with a fork and knife – but an etiquette expert says this may not be the case.
“While it’s true that most people use their hands to eat a burger, doing it properly with a knife and fork brings a real sense of refinement to the culinary experience,” Grant Harrold, butler to King Charles III from 2004 to 2011, recently told The Telegraph in -UK
Harrold added that it is “appropriate behavior” to eat a hamburger with the trimmings – and that this has happened to his previous customers.
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“Using a knife and fork was the method used by members of the royal family during my time at Buckingham Palace and Highgrove House, as well as many high-profile clients I have worked with around the world over the years,” he said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Harrold for comment.
A man who served as a servant to King Charles III said the only way to eat a burger is to use a fork and knife. (Stock)
While it’s true that one should consider using cutlery when eating a burger at a fancy event, that’s not always the case, California-based etiquette expert Rosalinda Randall told Fox News Digital.
When “eating at any important event, royal or official, a knife and fork will be used in many courses,” he said.
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This includes hamburgers, Randall added, noting that “the rule of restaurant etiquette dictates that if a small basic burger, for example, is served as one of the courses, a knife and fork are preferred.”
However, “this will not be easy to guide if the hamburger is folded in two,” he said.
“Using cutlery to eat food that’s handled by many people may seem odd, even weird,” says one California-based ethicist. (Stock)
“Once it’s cut, no doubt, the burger will be disintegrated into a sloppy mess.”
Foods like pizza, tacos and hamburgers are “typically eaten with our hands and at leisure,” she said.
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“Using cutlery to eat food that’s held by a lot of people can seem weird, weird,” Randall said.
“Cutting into smaller pieces allows you to continue the conversation.”
Outside of a royal feast, there are other occasions when it is not considered proper respect to eat a hamburger using a fork and knife.
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This includes eating at fine restaurants but also in practical situations such as during a job interview or on a date.
A job interview or a date can be a good time to eat a burger with cutlery, one ethics expert told Fox News Digital. (Stock)
“Breaking off small bites allows you to continue the conversation,” Randall says.
Additionally, one may want to use cutlery if one does not want “sticky goo under fingernails” or leave fingerprints on a wine glass.
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Using cutlery helps one eat less, he said.
But if you’re not sure what to do when you’re presented with a burger at a fancy dinner, there’s an easy way to solve the problem, says Randall.
King Charles III is shown attending a state banquet at the Schloss Bellevue presidential palace in March 2023 in Berlin, Germany. (Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)
If the host eats a hamburger with a fork and knife, so should the guests, he said.
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“It’s an honor to follow their lead,” Randall said.
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