Are You Forking Kidding Me?

I'm a bit late on this one - today, I stumbled across a copy of Marie Claire, and while skimming the letters to the editor, I found comments regarding a previously published article on a new fad diet called "Le Forking." Le What-ing? Did yours truly miss an opportunity to pass judgment on a new cringe-inducing fad diet?!?

               Click here to read the article on Marie Claire's website...

Hmm...so under this plan, I could only eat foods that I can pick up with a fork. No spoons, no knives, no hands, no chopsticks, just a fork. Being the ex-law student I am, I immediately began listing potential loopholes in this "fork only" rule - is a spork considered a fork or a spoon?

Like the author, my thoughts on the diet are mixed. First, I am awfully surprised that this diet originated in France - I was under the impression that Americans were the only people dysfunctional enough to jump on bizarre weight loss methods. I always pointed to the French as an example of a healthy, rational food culture. Maybe I'm stuck in the past, or maybe "Le Forking" proponents are just a vocal, media-savvy fringe group?

Next, who made these rules? How does fish count as a fork-friendly food, but chicken does not? I've certainly had crappily-cooked chicken with a texture that would make the soles of my Doc Martens seem buttery in comparison, but properly cooked chicken is easily eaten with nothing more than a fork. These rules are far too arbitrary for one to be able to truly commit.

My last thought, however, swings the pendulum the other way. I've written many times before about how America's eat-on-the-run culture saddens me. I am highly suspect of "food" that is designed to be eaten while rushing from place to place, meeting to meeting, point A to point B. In defense of "Le Forking," perhaps eating this way is a step towards recognizing that taking the time to sit down to eat a meal is a noble goal.

What are your thoughts?