Mary Hansen

When my mother asked me if I wanted my grandmother’s silverware, I thought immediately of the long skinny spoons we used at her house for the occasional ice cream floats and said yes.

The spoon has the head of a teaspoon and is about 7 inches long. As I child I thought there was something so unusual about it. Regular spoons, forks and knives all had a use I understood. I learned from my mother how to set a table, fork to the left of the plate, knife and spoon on the right. Cloth napkin folded in a rectangle under the knife and spoon. We always set the table for dinner when I was growing up.

To my young mind, I knew all of the silverware. But this long skinny spoon was uniquely enchanting. What was its use or purpose? Was it just for eating ice cream floats? What wonderful person would invent such a spoon, and why did my fairly practical grandmother have them as part of her set?

I learned later they are ice tea spoons. Not quite as enchanting as I imagined, especially as I am not a sweet tea drinker, nor was my grandmother. But I find I use them every day - for the honey in my coffee, for the peanut butter at the bottom of the jar, for really any use I can conjure up. I delight in using them and in remembering my grandmother.