The Case of the Disappearing Spoon

I don't use spoons that much.  Pretty much every night, Mary Beth sets the table with fork, knife and spoon--no matter what's for dinner.  Usually, I will only use the fork...and maybe the knife.  The spoon usually just sits there waiting to go back in the silverware drawer.

Except for the spoon at her place.  Somehow, it seems that she uses the spoon at almost every meal.  She says it's so she can scrape up the last little bit of food on the plate.  I'll take that as a complement to my cooking.

I just ran across an entertaining and informative article from the Denver Post about, of all things, spoons.  I know, only I would read an article about spoons.  But you should read it, too.  It's funny and teaches a lot about the history of this utensil.

The main reason for writing the article is that the author, Tucker Shaw, has noticed that many restaurants in Denver are not giving spoons to guests unless they are requested (or if you order a meal that requires one).  He goes on to praise the longevity and smooth curves of the spoon:

It is a graceful shape, intimate and welcoming. Romantic even. Composer Jerome Kern in 1905 wrote "How'd You Like to Spoon With Me?" without causing scandal. Ponder the outcome if he'd written an ode to forks.

He goes on to explain how spoons are ancient--they've been used much, much longer than forks, which only were available to the middle class during the Renaissance in Europe.  Heck, some cultures don't even use forks--think about the Asians using chopsticks instead.

So tell me...are you a spoon person?  Have you run across restaurants that you frequent not setting the table with spoons?  And if there are none, do you ask the waiter to fork over a spoon?  (Sorry, that was bad.)