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I've been a knife nut for years and always carry, but I've never used my own knife at a restaurant. I'm paying the restaurant, so it might as well be their silverware getting dirtied up (and them doing the dishes)! 
Your knife at the restaurant...
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Ankerson
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I think that is really the point, it's not really supposed to be impressive, elegant ect, they are just supposed to work.
The knives do get beat around, washed in dishwashers ect.
I am amazed they tend to work as well as they do considering what they go through on a daily basis.
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They do work, when they give you one. I don't switch to my folder when the knife is crappy, because they're always crappy, but enough to tear through chicken, beef, or pork. I use my folder when they didn't give me something other than the butter knife. All I want to do is eat my food and leave. I have no interest in running the wait staff ragged, I'll just let it show in the tip, if I leave one. Atmosphere or ambiance or some experience don't concern me. If the food is edible, I'll make my way through it with the cheap steak knife, the SAK in my pocket, or my bare hands if need be. Most times, it isn't a fine dining experience. When there are infants wailing, arguments and parties at other tables, and the bus boy is non-existent, and they didn't bother to bring me the proper silverware for the dish, I'm just going to use my own knife because there's no reason not to. I sit at a booth whenever available, so noone from three sides knows what I'm doing or eating anyway. I never whipped out an Opinel 13, DDR Maxx, or an XL Espada, the knives I used where shorter or equal to the blade of a steak knife anyway. They were less tacticool since they were plain edged to the scary serrations of a steak knife. No blade coatings, no writing on the blade, no tantos, etc. Just a clean and shiny piece of metal that I used to cut through a piece of meat or bread. No one has a reason to notice or to care.
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I wonder how many people who use their pocket knives in restaraunts because they can't use the steakknives like other diners also wear their ball caps and Stetsons at the table?
Ankerson
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Yeah, that's pretty much it, I eat and go, I am not one to sit around forever and take in the surrounds like the screaming kids, loud jerks, drunks, and other assorted things that make racket.
All I want to do is go in, order, get my food and get the heck out as fast as possible.
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"do you have a sharper knife"
"no"
same thing. hardly something to complain about or be yelled at over.
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I have eaten at every kind restaurant from a greasy spoon to 3 michelin stars. I have never, EVER, seen a place with knives as bad as you describe. They have ALWAYS done an adequate job cutting. EVERY SINGLE TIME.
Ankerson
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The biggest issue here is that using a folder at a restaurant is a WANT and not a NEED and some are trying to tell others here on a knife forum that it's not..... And we know better..... That's the funny thing about it.
Yes I am sure we all know that some are looking for any excuse to play with their toys and that's fine, however a restaurant is not really the best place to do it... And MOST of the others eating really wouldn't know the difference between a flea market knife and a Sebenza so they really aren't going to impress anyone.
Just fess up.
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The biggest issue here is that using a folder at a restaurant is a WANT and not a NEED and some are trying to tell others here on a knife forum that it's not..... And we know better..... That's the funny thing about it.
Yes I am sure we all know that some are looking for any excuse to play with their toys and that's fine, however a restaurant is not really the best place to do it... And MOST of the others eating really wouldn't know the difference between a flea market knife and a Sebenza so they really aren't going to impress anyone.
Just fess up.
Absolutely, for instance some of us want to keep our salad in the bowl, rather than having it pushed out of it when trying to cut up a friggin pepper with a rounded butter knife. I'm not talking fine dining here, just a quick bite while out.
I don't see ever needing a pocket knife for a steak, but come on. How can someone really care about how someone else cuts their food to the extent that a few are opposing it here.
Ankerson
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Because they are trying to BS all of the others on a knife forum....... That's why, and the really sad part about it.
If they are going to try and BS people they need to try and do it to people who don't know any better.
But then I don't know who they would be either....
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I can think of quite a few restaurants where I have used my EDC to cut food:
-Starbucks: Good luck trying to find a knife to cut a pastry in half here. My guest is always appreciative.
-Chinese: Most Chinese food is made to be eaten with chopsticks (even American style) or hands, so knives usually aren't on the table. I've cut egg rolls in half with my EDC.
-Japanese: Usually not necessary at good sushi places, but every once in a while I get served a hunk of raw fish (sashimi) that is half an inch thick. Not cool. If I don't feel like sending it back, I'll use my very sharp EDC to slice it thin. If you're sitting at the sushi bar, the chefs will often love to talk about knives and whose is sharpest.
Pro-tip: If you live near a Japanese supermarket and have access to sashimi quality fish, its really fun to buy some seaweed (nori), cooked rice, pickles and raw fish and make your own hand rolls in the shape of a cone. Very easy and very cheap. Sit down in the dining area and use your EDC to slice the fish. This makes the ex-pats extremely happy, especially if your white. I've actually received positive comments from elderly Japanese ladies on what a shame it is that the younger generation doesn't do this.
--
Etiquette:
-Be sensitive to your environment. Some people (rightly or wrongly) get upset when they see a scarey knife. Of course, in the context of the dinner table, a knife isn't a scarey or offensive object. It's an appropriate tool. That said, be discreet. Don't flick it open or use the assist. I've made that mistake at a restaurant while showing off a knife and caused one of my wife's friends to scream, which makes everyone in the restaurant look in your direction. Not good. Open your blade under the table so that you don't draw attention to what your doing. Keep the knife low on the table, cut your food, wipe off the blade, and put it back in your pocket. Make sure to wash it with soap, especially if you cut raw fish, ASAP.
-Starbucks: Good luck trying to find a knife to cut a pastry in half here. My guest is always appreciative.
-Chinese: Most Chinese food is made to be eaten with chopsticks (even American style) or hands, so knives usually aren't on the table. I've cut egg rolls in half with my EDC.
-Japanese: Usually not necessary at good sushi places, but every once in a while I get served a hunk of raw fish (sashimi) that is half an inch thick. Not cool. If I don't feel like sending it back, I'll use my very sharp EDC to slice it thin. If you're sitting at the sushi bar, the chefs will often love to talk about knives and whose is sharpest.
Pro-tip: If you live near a Japanese supermarket and have access to sashimi quality fish, its really fun to buy some seaweed (nori), cooked rice, pickles and raw fish and make your own hand rolls in the shape of a cone. Very easy and very cheap. Sit down in the dining area and use your EDC to slice the fish. This makes the ex-pats extremely happy, especially if your white. I've actually received positive comments from elderly Japanese ladies on what a shame it is that the younger generation doesn't do this.
--
Etiquette:
-Be sensitive to your environment. Some people (rightly or wrongly) get upset when they see a scarey knife. Of course, in the context of the dinner table, a knife isn't a scarey or offensive object. It's an appropriate tool. That said, be discreet. Don't flick it open or use the assist. I've made that mistake at a restaurant while showing off a knife and caused one of my wife's friends to scream, which makes everyone in the restaurant look in your direction. Not good. Open your blade under the table so that you don't draw attention to what your doing. Keep the knife low on the table, cut your food, wipe off the blade, and put it back in your pocket. Make sure to wash it with soap, especially if you cut raw fish, ASAP.
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Not quite sure who I was trying to BS, or where I ever posted that it was a need. In the instances where I used my own knife, it was because I needed a knife that I didn't have, sure. What I wanted was to get done with my meal and avoid another disappointing interaction with a waiter/waitress who didn't bring the proper silverware the first time. I already had to wait to be seated, wait to have my order taken, wait for the food to arrive - I'm not waiting for them to resolve their screw-up, which usually does not come in singles anyway. And no, nobody there knew the differences between knives and didn't know what I was doing. Nobody was impressed, and I'm glad they weren't. It would be a little disconcerting to have someone know exactly what utensil I had in my hand, as I try to be discrete as possible.
Anyone who noticed I was using my own folder was probably trying to see if I was using the right fork for my salad or the right spoon for my soup. When I get two forks at the restaurant chains that forgot my knife, they're the same anyway, so it's downright anarchy when the salad arrives. But some of these people get ridiculously sanctimonious over rules of etiquette for eating in places that have plastic menus. When the guy next to me is wearing an orange tank top and cutoffs that let me count his individual body hairs in a restaurant at 11 PM, I'll use whatever knife I prefer.
This entire forum is about wants over needs. There is no need for the locks, steels, and other materials we discuss so frequently. There is no need for custom kitchen knives or folders that are priced more than dinner for 12 at a decent restaurant. We could all get by with grandpa's slippie and some random fixed blade if we wanted; and we could eat dinner with them if we wanted, too.
Anyone who noticed I was using my own folder was probably trying to see if I was using the right fork for my salad or the right spoon for my soup. When I get two forks at the restaurant chains that forgot my knife, they're the same anyway, so it's downright anarchy when the salad arrives. But some of these people get ridiculously sanctimonious over rules of etiquette for eating in places that have plastic menus. When the guy next to me is wearing an orange tank top and cutoffs that let me count his individual body hairs in a restaurant at 11 PM, I'll use whatever knife I prefer.
This entire forum is about wants over needs. There is no need for the locks, steels, and other materials we discuss so frequently. There is no need for custom kitchen knives or folders that are priced more than dinner for 12 at a decent restaurant. We could all get by with grandpa's slippie and some random fixed blade if we wanted; and we could eat dinner with them if we wanted, too.
Ankerson
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That wasn't directed right at you.
The fork and spoon thing is always funny to see at better places, seeing people fumble around, I will usually try and help them out out most of the time. ROFL
Also seeing people trying to use chop sticks who really don't know how (99.9%) trying to impress others at the table even when there are people from those native Countries that are sitting there using forks.
It's like look at me I am using chop sticks fumbling around dropping the food ect, I always get a kick out of that.
Yes we are watching them make a complete fool out of themselves and everyone else at the table has been done eating for 20 mins while they are still fumbling around eating COLD food.... And yes there is always at least one there to laugh at.
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Yep, that just about nails it. I don't think anyone here really cares if some people in this thread use their pocket knife to cut their meat...it's just the claim that it's being done out of necessity. As has been said here, I've never ate anywhere where the provided knife couldn't handle the job.
Funny, also that the thread has gone on so long, and now it seems some have finally been "shamed" enough that they are trying to concede the point.
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Who would be "shamed" by using a knife to cut food? There are no box cutters, axes, saws, keys, fingernails, scissors, clippers, or anything else to replace a knife for doing that. If you aren't given that knife, and you have your own, what is there to be ashamed of? There does seem to be a lot of shame driving a few. Those who actually worry about someone else judging them for having and using a knife in the last place where there is an issue with cutting stuff.
hardheart,
Hence, the " " around the word shamed. You really don't know how to take sarcasm or jokes very well. Seriously, do what you want, and do it with pride. I chose not to use my pocket knife while eating out. You feel different. To each his own. My only real point in any of my comments in this thread is that I'm not inclined to believe that this is being done for any reason other than we knife people like to play with our knives given the chance. If you don't like my view, well we can agree to disagree. No "shame" in that.
Hence, the " " around the word shamed. You really don't know how to take sarcasm or jokes very well. Seriously, do what you want, and do it with pride. I chose not to use my pocket knife while eating out. You feel different. To each his own. My only real point in any of my comments in this thread is that I'm not inclined to believe that this is being done for any reason other than we knife people like to play with our knives given the chance. If you don't like my view, well we can agree to disagree. No "shame" in that.
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My point is that I don't do it with pride, I don't do it for fun, and I don't do it for attention. These are the only reasons the detractors can seem to come up with in this thread. I don't like getting grease and oils on my blade that I have to clean off later. I don't like the fact that the wait staff was so incompetent as to leave me with no knife. I don't like waiting around in restaurants. I use my knife when it makes it easier, but it isn't the ideal solution.
Since I eat at a restaurant minimum 250 times a year when in the states, and I first used my own knife at the table about 10-11 years ago, I have roughly averaged taking out my knife once every 500 or so meals when seated at a food service establishment. 0.2% of my meals at a business - not meals in total, not out of every restaurant trip, but only those in the last decade. Three or four times out of thousands. No spectacle, no mishap, no nothing.
Since I eat at a restaurant minimum 250 times a year when in the states, and I first used my own knife at the table about 10-11 years ago, I have roughly averaged taking out my knife once every 500 or so meals when seated at a food service establishment. 0.2% of my meals at a business - not meals in total, not out of every restaurant trip, but only those in the last decade. Three or four times out of thousands. No spectacle, no mishap, no nothing.
I have used my own folder on several occasions to cut steak at a restaurant. Did I need to? Of course not. The large serrated butter knife that is so popular at steak places (Longhorn's, Roadhouse, etc) certainly would have created bite sized pieces of steak. However, I greatly enjoyed the experience of an effortless clean slice of my own knife over the sawing of the provided knife. I would say I agree with AG Russell on that regard.