Fork etiquette question

[Shambala]

I hope this is the right forum for this question but it's been bugging me since lunch yesterday.

When you have a salad as an entree (nicoise in my case yesterday), do you use the salad fork or the entree fork? Neither the waitress nor her co-workers knew and a quick internet search didn't help either.

[Historic NY]

1. Try Emily

https://emilypost.com/search-results?search=salad+forks&id=1]

[Bernardo de La Paz]

4. Excellent tip

This setting is not in place in practice as illustrated even when all the utensils are used. In best service, some utensils arrive with their dish. Illustration from the given link, first sub-link:

[JoseBalow]

13. TIL there is a Salad Knife

[2naSalit]

2. Still a salad...

So salad fork?

[Shambala]

5. Yet it was also an entree

And to be honest I switched from salad fork to entree fork about half way through my meal just because the question was bugging me

[Bobstandard]

9. Salad fork is designed for salad

It matters not whether the salad is the main course.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

3. Salad entrees are large enough to benefit from the main course fork if they are the main course

Regardless of size, if a salad is not the main course then don't use the entree fork. Reserve the "entree fork" for the main course, whatever it might be.

In particular, side salads / appetizer salads should be cut or torn small enough in the kitchen so they can be eaten with a fork and no knife.

Ideally there is an appetizer fork, a main course fork, and a desert fork at the place setting.

[Shambala]

6. Sounds like the answer is

if it's an appetizer salad, then salad fork. If it's an entree salad, use the entree fork. Makes sense, thanks.

[unblock]

7. Ideally, the appetizer forks are removed after that course, leaving only the entree fork, so, no confusion

[splat]

8. Match the fork to the food

Salad forks have shorter tines. You might be sticking an entree fork into a thick filet, but unless the salad contains thick chunks of tomatoes, too thick for the salad tines to pierce fully, use the salad fork. If necessary use or switch to the longer tines for thick morsels.

Simple and practical, and how etiquette evolved.

[Shambala]

11. That acutally crossed my mind

This is getting too deep into my thought process but was thinking that if I had ordered a steak salad I would have immediately grabbed the entree fork But since my nicoise had thin slices of tuna I started using salad fork.

[lastlib]

10. I would say feed it to the rabbit.....

...then eat the rabbit.

But then, I'm a carnivore--I didn't claw to the top of the food chain to eat lettuce....... YMMV.

[Shambala]

12. I like your thinking

[yardwork]

14. Technically, the wait staff should have removed the extra fork.

Since your meal was one course, the salad fork should have been removed when you ordered salad as your one course.

But nobody cares about these early 20th century rules that were invented by selfish rich people who wanted to be mean to others!

Use the fork you like.

[Shambala]

15. That's a good point.

I remember that being done fir me in higher end restaurants and didn't think twice about it. Yesterday's restaurant was a nice college town restaurant but not super fancy though everyone was dressed up for graduations.

[AllaN01Bear]

16. my late mom told me eat in , out .