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Somewhere in the back of our minds, alongside long-dormant calculus equations
and the corner where old brain cells go to die, we perceived the fork as one
of the most American of low-tech implements. After all, we’ve always
been a country that insists on having its apple pie and eating it, too. (And
how else does one eat apple pie? Or steak and potatoes?)
We imagined forks in the hands of the pilgrims and
their confused Indian guests as they sat down to turkey, corn and cranberries
on the night before the Christmas shopping season was to begin. (We also know
how forked tongues stole land we could then fork-over with roads, highways,
and interstates.)
Depending on the food (or mood) a fork can cradle
or pierce, carry or cut. A fork can be musical (a tuning fork), mindful (a
fork in the road), a method of payment (to fork over scron), or macabre (the
fork in Sharon Tate’s pregnant belly). How American can you get?
Then we read José Arman Pita’s prose
poem in scholarly clothes, People of the Fork, and learned that this seemingly
democratic utensil (in its two-tined incarnation anyway) was an affectation
of Italian nobility. The modern fork as we know it, slightly curved, with
multiple prongs, was forged in France in the 17th century.
To make things worse, it turns out that the spork,
or runcible spoon, was invented in England and not at KFC. (Oh, well . . .
it was worth a stab.)
We hope you enjoy our humble take on The Fork. However,
if you find that you’re still not satiated, may we suggest the following
forky links:
For a glimpse at the table fork’s supernatural
side . . . fork-bending hostess, katty b, provides step-by-step instructions,
downloadable "bended fork wallpaper" and her unique crooked cutlery
zodiac: www.fork-you.com.
For a glimpse into the future . . . inventor Don
Sothman proudly presents the "Most Unique Eating Utensil Since the Dark
Ages," with the prediction that his (wholly American) "popcorn fork"
will be "the 4th commonly used eating utensil in the home (especially
when the dishwasher hasn’t been emptied)": www.popcornfork.com