Holding the fork vertically with downward pressure in the left fist while cutting with the knife. Then putting down the knife, swapping the fork to the right hand for eating. Bonus points for biting the forks.
It’s the most distracting thing in all American media. I like to yell “yanks eating weird!” And point at the screen. Once you see it you can’t unsee it.
In Australia it’s customary to thank the staff members attending your table. So when they top up your water, or lay out cutlery for the next course, or clear plates, you say ‘thanks/thank you’. Same for people clearing glasses in bars. It’s like a millisecond pause in your conversation to thank the staff member; it’s basically cell memory, you don’t think about it. They may or may not acknowledge it with a smile or ‘you’re welcome/no worries’. . It’s just a basic manners thing.
I and my partner were doing it in the states and it was clearly unnerving the staff. Lots of puzzled looks or ‘thats ok hun’ like they had to reassure me that it was part of the service.
Do people just ignore staff there? Is paying a tip at the end the only acknowledgment that they exist?