The fork was considered indecent in Europe for centuries.
In Byzantium the table fork was common by the 4th century and in Italy from the 11th. In northern Europe it caused outrage: Peter Damian condemned it as vanity. When Thomas Coryat brought one to England in 1611 he was mocked for Italian affectation. It became normal there only in the 18th century.
Useful: Resistance to novelty rarely tracks the technology; it almost always tracks manners.
Source: en.wikipedia.org