Why We Eat With a Fork (It Isn't the Food)
The fork isn’t just a useful tool for eating. It’s one of the greatest symbols of individualism — a utensil that people opposed for thousands of years, and that only gained acceptance once we started thinking about ourselves differently. This is the story of how the fork shaped us.
EPISODE NOTES
• Darra Goldstein, and her latest book Beyond the North Wind
• Ken Albala, University of the Pacific
• Melissa Wittmeier, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
• Niall Atkinson, University of Chicago
• Christine Zappella, Blanton Museum of Art in Austin, Texas
• Jesus’s Last Supper Menu Revealed
• Madeleine Pelner Cosman’s description of the spice finger
• The Hungry Food Band’s spork song
• PRI’s The World: How birds flew out of pies
• Timeline: The cultural politics of fork usage are surprisingly complex
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