"The fork is a latecomer to the table." Knives and even spoons were used "forever," but forks? (Google: The Rise of the Fork)
An article in the July-August issue of LDS Living, tells the tale:
"Have you used a fork today? If so, some early clergy men might have said you should fear for your soul. In the year AD 1004, a woman caused a stir when she used a fork at her wedding feast in Venice. Most Europeans still ate with their fingers and knives at the time, and the local clergyman firmly believed it should stay that way. According to Smithsonian Magazine, a religious leader said, "God in his wisdom has provided man with natural forks---his fingers. Therefore it is an insult to him to substitute artificial metal forks for them when eating."
"The for continued to be a topic of scandalous discussion for hundreds of years. In fact, forks weren't well established in the U.S. until the 1850s. And for that bride in Venice? She died of the plague a few years after her wedding and local religious leaders claimed that her demise was a punishment from God. Makes us wonder what ancient clergymen would say about a spork."
Really want more fun reading parallel to this topic? Click to www.theguardian.com and then "The history of table manners," by Jonathan Jones posted 9 Nov 2011.
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