Small Medium Or Large Sir?
Now you would imagine that with a title like 'Stories From The 'Spoon', all you would read about is spoons. You would be wrong. The blog isn't about spoons, the title doesn't even refer to a literal spoon, and I usually have little cause to mention them. But when i see something quite exceptional, spoon related or otherwise, I feel a need to share it with you.
It had been an unfulfilling meeting. I was plodding across the bridge taking in the scenery, trying to shake off the dissatisfaction the morning had brought, when I decided to stop for a cup of tea. An expensive hot beverage from a huge American chain was sure to invigorate me, breathing some life into my day. Ahead of me were some cheerful, brightly dressed, clipboard wielding beings accosting pedestrians, no doubt in an attempt to extract monies for their good cause. I increased my pace, trying to make my walk appear more purposeful. Can't they see I'm busy? A do-gooder intentionally blocked my path.
"Get out of my way!" I demanded, wading through the young man's abundance of enthusiasm. "I'm in a hurry."
I took two or three more steps of angry walk then ambled off into a coffee shop for an important meeting with myself.
Soft New Orleans style jazz was being piped through the room infused with the strong aroma of coffee beans. There were a few tables free, and some comfy leather chairs available at the far end. I knew where I was going. I ordered a tea, hesitating for a while on the choice of small, medium or large. Well how did I know how large the cups were? I'd never been here before. I took the safe option of medium, paid, then carried my cup over to the bin to dispose of the tea bag.
I crossed the room, passing the two other customers. An extremely old man to the left, who appeared to be nursing a near empty, small cup of tea. To the right, a man with a huge bushy beard. It is worth mentioning that this beard looked almost too perfect. I suspected foul play.
It was only after I eased myself into the comfy leather chair that I became aware of something strange. In front of me, a perfectly ordinary scene. A cup of tea, a saucer and a spoon. Yet something seemed proportionately wrong.
The cup, the saucer, the tea. It all looked fine. I shrugged it off thinking it was a consequence of sleep deprivation, a trick of the mind. I picked up the spoon to stir my tea, and could not believe my eyes.
It was the largest tea spoon I had ever seen! At no point did I remember ordering a medium tea with an extra large spoon. I searched my wallet to check the receipt. It had not been itemised. I looked around and observed that neither Old Man nor Fake Beard had spoons this large. I know I'm not very wise with the language of coffee shops, but had I inadvertently requested this?
Puzzled at why I was given such a spoon, I started thinking that this may be a freak of Spoonkind. Perhaps an accident at the spoon factory, or someone's idea of a joke. But then I began to wonder whether I was seeing this from the wrong perspective. Was it an exceptionally long tea spoon, or was it simply a dessert spoon with an incredibly small head?
It makes you wonder what else is out there..
It had been an unfulfilling meeting. I was plodding across the bridge taking in the scenery, trying to shake off the dissatisfaction the morning had brought, when I decided to stop for a cup of tea. An expensive hot beverage from a huge American chain was sure to invigorate me, breathing some life into my day. Ahead of me were some cheerful, brightly dressed, clipboard wielding beings accosting pedestrians, no doubt in an attempt to extract monies for their good cause. I increased my pace, trying to make my walk appear more purposeful. Can't they see I'm busy? A do-gooder intentionally blocked my path.
"Get out of my way!" I demanded, wading through the young man's abundance of enthusiasm. "I'm in a hurry."
I took two or three more steps of angry walk then ambled off into a coffee shop for an important meeting with myself.
Soft New Orleans style jazz was being piped through the room infused with the strong aroma of coffee beans. There were a few tables free, and some comfy leather chairs available at the far end. I knew where I was going. I ordered a tea, hesitating for a while on the choice of small, medium or large. Well how did I know how large the cups were? I'd never been here before. I took the safe option of medium, paid, then carried my cup over to the bin to dispose of the tea bag.
I crossed the room, passing the two other customers. An extremely old man to the left, who appeared to be nursing a near empty, small cup of tea. To the right, a man with a huge bushy beard. It is worth mentioning that this beard looked almost too perfect. I suspected foul play.
It was only after I eased myself into the comfy leather chair that I became aware of something strange. In front of me, a perfectly ordinary scene. A cup of tea, a saucer and a spoon. Yet something seemed proportionately wrong.
The cup, the saucer, the tea. It all looked fine. I shrugged it off thinking it was a consequence of sleep deprivation, a trick of the mind. I picked up the spoon to stir my tea, and could not believe my eyes.
It was the largest tea spoon I had ever seen! At no point did I remember ordering a medium tea with an extra large spoon. I searched my wallet to check the receipt. It had not been itemised. I looked around and observed that neither Old Man nor Fake Beard had spoons this large. I know I'm not very wise with the language of coffee shops, but had I inadvertently requested this?
Puzzled at why I was given such a spoon, I started thinking that this may be a freak of Spoonkind. Perhaps an accident at the spoon factory, or someone's idea of a joke. But then I began to wonder whether I was seeing this from the wrong perspective. Was it an exceptionally long tea spoon, or was it simply a dessert spoon with an incredibly small head?
It makes you wonder what else is out there..
posted by Spoon at 12:46 am
5 Comments:
Surely that's better than having it the other way around?
How extraordinary. It looks like one of those spoons they give you with a sundae but why with a cup of tea? It's a crazy world we live in. Or maybe all the regular teaspoons were just dirty.
Lovely spoon, and better than one of those wooden spatula things.
I think those sort of spoons are meant for knickerbocker glories. You don't see too many of those these days though. So I guess the spoons are redundant and having to seek work elsewhere - hence the one with your cuppa. That's my theory anyways.
I agree with anonymous. A short spoon with an ridiculously large head would have been pointless.
Day In Bed, if all the ordinary spoons were dirty, they could have given me one of those wooden stirrers - there's more to this.
Random Thoughts, I agree, an unusually large spoon with a small head beats a wooden spatular thing hands down.
Julia, or should it be Miss/Mrs/Ms Buckley? An interesting and very plausible theory. If these knickerbocker glory spoons were to be taken out of service, and Knickerbocker glories were to make a comeback, using an ordinary spoon could be disasterous. They are right to continue using these spoons!
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