h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

OK, I saw this mentioned under the spork article too... I was under the impression that the cross between a fork and spoon was called a runcible spoon. So famously used by the Owl and the Pussycat for eating a Quince/Mince concoction.

I believe it's an Americanism, generally applied to the plastic variety that functions effectively as neither a spoon nor a fork. I'd never heard of a runcible spoon before you mentioned it. Or rather, hadn't heard of calling it that, if it's the same as or similar to a spork.

Sporks and runcible spoons are basically the same. Typically, sporks are plastic and runcible spoons are metal. The spork is a modern descendant. It gained ascendancy in the 1950s in American prisons and schools, because it was thought that sporks could not be used as weapons and children could not accidentally injure themselves with them.

Nowadays, a few American fast food restaurants (some of which serve soup or other spoon-happy foods) use sporks. By doing so, they can purchase larger bulk of a single utensil instead of smaller quantities of multiple utensils. You can also find sporks for sale in many grocery stores these days, though I often wonder who buys them.

Ah. We used to have Tupperware ones, and whenever my mum used them we had to go through the whole of the Owl and the Pussycat, and then we wanted to know what a Quince was......

Fascinating. Originally, I didn't include the spork in the article on the grounds that it was, at best, a distant relative of flatware and had nothing to do with cutlery. Eventually I weakened. The reason? I just knew a thread called "What about the spork?" would appear if I didn't include it.

Hey presto. I turn on my computer this morning to find a thread on sporks and one on the Swiss Army knife

Interesting info about the runcible spoon. I didn't know such a thing existed. Anyone know anything about its history? Maybe if someone posts something then Ashley or Sam can include it in the yarn when they check the threads in the morning (Brit time).

Loony

Since Aunty doesn't allow outside links from messages, you might like to read an extract from "The Straight Dope" website, which I found by entering Runcible Spoon into the "[URL removed by moderator]" search engine. The whole entry is quite long, so I've just included the last bit. It is worth a read though. And, furthermore, how could I have possibly *slaps forehead* forgotten Aunt Jobiska's runcible cat with crimson whiskers??!! Edward Lear has a lot to answer for.

"Modern students of runciosity believe that while it may have been inspired by the word "rouncival" (apparently meaning gigantic), runcibilization as we know it today was
the invention of Edward Lear.

But the runcible-spoon-as-pickle-fork idea has taken firm root. One sighs, but what can you do? I expect the discovery of the Bong-tree any day. "

When the article is updated - sometime in the distant future - the runcible spoon could be added to this paragraph

Implements with the bowl of a spoon, the tines of a fork and the cutting edge of a knife (known commercially as 'le fork' or 'splayds')

Edward Lear does indeed have a lot to answer for. Call that nonsense poetry! Pah. I much prefer Lewis Caroll or Hilaire Belloc.

But he was a very good artist. (Mr Lear that is)

Uncle Ghengis

("Bong with a luminous nose indeed!")