I was amused by the kerfuffle over Mayor De Blasio’s use of a knife and fork while eating pizza in Staten Island.  New Yorkers seemed to be universally appalled by this odd behavior – after all New Yorkers (and maybe Americans in general) use only hands to devour pizza.  The mayor defended himself by saying that by using utensils he was being true to his roots because in Italy pizza is eaten that way. He’s right:  Italians who visit or live in New York often comment on the odd custom Americans have of eating pizza with their hands…  In an informal survey of Italian friends here in NYC, all (from Romani to Torinesi to Perugini to Napoletani) eat pizza with a knife and fork.  That is, pizza al piatto (an individual pizza on a plate eaten in a pizzeria) is eaten with a knife and fork.  The typical Roman pizza al taglio (fast food pizza, cut into rectangles and wrapped in paper, eaten as a snack or at lunch) is eaten with the hands, usually while standing or walking.  So, is there one true way to eat pizza?  Not really:  it all comes down to culture, habit and preference.