What started as a simple “soft life” moment on TikTok has ignited a huge, heated debate about table manners, social class, and whether friends should correct each other online after a woman filmed herself eating at Ruth’s Chris Steak House.
Formal dining etiquette is something that some people learn at home or in specialized classes, but for others, it’s something they just pick up through trial and error. This disparity became the center of a viral discussion once content creator Khadi (@khadi.khronicles) posted a clip showing her enjoying a meal at the popular upscale American steakhouse, which is famous for serving steaks sizzling hot on 500-degree plates.
Khadi’s filmed herself taking the first bite of each dish she ordered. According to Brobible, she captioned the clip, saying that “Soft life taste like this.” The drama started when she cut into the meat, which many viewers assumed was steak but was actually lamb chops. If you look closely, she held her fork with a firm, overhand grip in one hand while using the knife in the other. Since the lamb chops didn’t cut easily, that grip looked pretty unconventional by formal dining standards.
Don’t judge others, they may not know
While Khadi was clearly just trying to share a nice moment, viewers immediately zeroed in on her technique, sparking thousands of comments and reaction videos debating proper table etiquette. Chris Martin (@cmartyfit) was among the loudest critics, and his take on the situation was incredibly harsh. Martin, whose critique video grabbed 965,000 views, suggested that many women who want to go to nice restaurants “never really been to them places” or learned proper etiquette.
To be fair, this isn’t called out like bathroom etiquette or movie etiquette, so it’s pretty mean to get one anyone for how they eat.
He specifically called her out for cutting the meat “like a like a caveman,” which is frankly an insane way to describe someone just trying to enjoy their meal. Martin continued by suggesting that guys should “vet” women before taking them to upscale spots to avoid embarrassment. He stated, “I’ll be damned if I take a chick out, and she go into Ruth Chris and embarrass me.” Honestly, judging someone’s character based on how they hold a fork is a truly awful approach to dating.
@khadi.khronicles Soft life taste like this
♬ BUSSIN – Moneybagg Yo & Rob49#datenight
Not everyone was ready to jump on the criticism bandwagon, thankfully. Several creators pushed back, arguing that the whole situation reveals deeper issues about class access and opportunity. Creator @mzuniquecutz emphasized that not everyone has had the chance to learn formal dining etiquette. She asked why someone would film the moment for views instead of offering actual help, especially since Khadi was on a date with her boyfriend.
@cmartyfit Woman eating like a CAVEMAN at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse
♬ original sound – Chris Martin
She believes that a real friend would intervene compassionately. She said, “A real friend is gonna stop you and show you the correct way to do it because everybody hasn’t been fortunate to be in places and positions that you have learned the proper etiquette as to holding utensils and stuff like that.” She argued that “A real true friend or a real gentleman woulda took the time out to show her the proper way to use that fork and a knife in the roof crease or whatever.”
