Manner Monday®: Sporks, Saltcellars, and Knife Rests, oh my!

by Carey Sue Vega in Business Etiquette, Etiquette, Family, Family Dinner, Manner Monday, Manners

As our students are out and about living life, they often stumble across old-fashioned table accessories that make them scratch their heads and ask, what in the world?  Sporks, Salt Cellars, and Knife Rests are all items we’ve received texts, or pictures posted via social media, with the questions of what and why?

So here’s the scoop…

Sporks
A few years ago, one of our students texted me, with a bit of good humor, asking about the plastic ‘spork’ in his KFC to-go order and if it should it be placed on the left or the right when setting the table… much to his surprise, I had a little history to share with him – which turned into a pretty fun text exchange.  I wish I had thought to get a screen shot of our dialogue, it was pretty funny.  Needless to say, he was shocked to learn that KFC didn’t invent the “spork”.  The spork (a spoon and fork hybrid) dates back to the late 1800’s.  The predecessor to our contemporary plastic spork is the ‘terrapin fork’ (yes, you read that correctly) or the ‘ice cream spoon’.  So to answer his question, I tossed it back to him to ask for which course he plans to use the ‘spork’.  That would help me with my suggestion for the placement of it.  If it’s for ‘terrapin’ during the meal, then it would go to the left with the other ‘forks’, if it’s for ice cream, it would be placed to the top of the place setting where the dessert utensils are found.  Or in his case, KFC, it really doesn’t matter where it’s placed, because he’s probably eating in his lap, out of a paper bag.

With his newfound knowledge, he said he’s holding out to win a chocolate bar sometime in the near future – or, if he ever appears on Jeopardy, he’s hopes to say “Sporks for $500 Alex”.

Saltcellars
A Saltcellar is a lidded or open vessel with a miniature spoon, which is placed on the dining table and used to dispense salt – in lieu of a modern saltshaker.  Use of saltcellars date back as early as Classical Greek and Roman times and continued through the first half of the 20^th century.  They started falling out of favor with the introduction of free flowing salt in 1911, and have for the most part become obsolete with the convenience of saltshakers.

At the height of their glory, during the Middle Ages, elaborate master saltcellars evolved.  These works of art were placed at the head table and the large vessel was a sign of status and prosperity and was always prominently displayed.  In addition to the master salt (the big Kahuna), smaller, simpler saltcellars were distributed for diners to share.

The social status of guests could easily be identified by their positions relative to the master’s large salt cellar: high-ranking guests sat above the salt while those of lesser importance sat below the salt.

Knife Rests
Technically, once you’ve used a utensil and it’s ‘dirty’, you’re not supposed to place it back on the table.  The reasoning was so that diners would not soil the tablecloth with a grimy utensil, hence the job of the knife rest.   Modern knife rests came about in the late 17^th or early 18^th century, but they originally can be tied to the times of Henry VIII.

Another fun fact about the dinner, or table, knife is the distinguishing feature of a blunt or rounded end. The origin of this, and thus of the table knife itself, dates back to the 1600’s; supposedly to cure dinner guests of the unsavory habit of picking their teeth with their knife-points.  In 1669, King Louis XIV of France banned pointed knives in the street and at his table, insisting on blunt tips, in order to reduce violence.  This history is helpful when setting the table; it’s a fun way to remember that you always place the blade of the knife towards your plate – and not towards your neighbor, think of it as helping to ‘keep the peace’.

As always, thanks for reading!
– Carey Sue