I did not order steak.

Through the years, people from different countries have established their own cultures that have defined them, made them unique. Chopsticks will always be attributed to the Chinese (at least that's what I know) and the Italians will always be remembered for pizza (again, that is what I know). Some habits or practices I can understand, some I find funny, others just outright questionable.

I was at a very popular coffee shop the other day, and I ordered a classic spam sandwich which, I told the barista, I would be eating there. I was asked to wait for my name to be called as they were going to warm the bun. Lo and behold! With my warmed sandwich came a fork and a knife. Time seemed to stop for a second as I stared at the tray. What in the world do I need a fork and a knife for???

I was itching to go into mataray mode and sarcastically say “Miss, I did not order steak,” but held my tongue for obvious reasons. So instead of asking the barista what the cutlery is for (which I am wont to do each time I do not understand something), I just took the tray to my table. But I still could not get myself to use the knife, let alone the fork. The sandwich was not hot enough to burn your fingers and warrant a tool to hold it with.

Was I missing something here? Was there a practice or an etiquette that I was not aware of? Was there a new "proper way of eating sandwich?"

In the end, I just did what was expected - held the sandwich with a paper napkin, brought it to my mouth, and bit.