Up until a few months ago, my youngest daughter Charlotte lived with me. Recently she’s taken the next step in her life and moved into a share house with two of her good friends. While I enjoyed living with her these last few years, I’m happy to see her spreading her wings and embracing this phase of her life.
Charlotte and I still have dinner at my place once a week, both as a way for Charlotte to save some money and for us both to catch up on the events of our weeks. As a parent, it’s not often that you get direct feedback but at a recent visit I was shocked and surprised to be told that I’ve raised a “spoon person”.
The revelation came from Charlotte’s new housemates and referred to her preferred choice of cutlery for most meals. Where her housemates would opt for a knife and fork, or a fork only at mealtimes- Charlotte went for the trusty spoon as her cutlery of choice. It got me thinking, were her housemates raised literally with silver spoons in their mouths and well-versed in the art of culinary deportment, or had I simply failed as a parent and raised a savage?
It turns out I’m a spoon person, probably not exclusively, but I do like a spoon. I’m not known for my ability to linger over meals. For me, food is fuel and I like to be efficient in my fuelling. If a spoon can get the job done quickly and efficiently then that’s the tool I’m reaching for.
A spoon just doesn’t work for some meals – steak for example requires a knife and fork, but for the food that I tend to cook the most – pasta dishes, stir frys, tacos or fajitas and salads the spoon is the obvious choice. It has all the utility of a fork with the added ability to be incredibly more efficient.
I’m not a total savage, raised without any manners(at least that’s what I think). I’m quite capable of working my way through the cutlery set for a three-course meal. However, in the privacy of your own home, I think you can afford to be a little less “proper” and a little more efficient. Maybe that’s where I’ve gone wrong if I have indeed failed as a parent.
In any case, raising a spoon person is the least of my parental shortcomings.
When I was a child, we had sporks, but that’s another story. Whatever happened to them?
