Eating utensils

[hhughh]

Who's offering mid- to late- 1700s eating utenisls?

Hugh

 

[Thomas Roach]

Depends on what you are looking for. Just to name a few:

Smilling Fox
J. Townsend
Godwin
Crazy Crow
Texas Sutler

They all sell the bone handled two tine fork with matching knife and spoon, as well as horn and or wooden spoons.

Not sure what persona you are going for, but this is what I do. For trekking I carry just a small wooden bowl and horn spoon. In a fixed camp where larger meal are prepared/offered I carry a bone handle set and a tin plate. I carry the same cup for both types of outings.

IMHO, the bone are more correct. Sorry to ramble so much :yakyak: , I hope this helps in your journey.

ThomasR. :hatsoff:

 

The only eating utensils Lewis and Clark issued to their expidition members was a one pint tin cup, with no handle, and an iorn spoon.

forks were not a common item at the commoners' table. Average people got by with a knife and spoon.

Wood, horn, pewter, iron, silver, or a clam shell will do. All of the suppliers have an appropriate form in one material or the other. You can hit the thrift store or antique shop for iron or silver types or search the local riverbank for a clamshell. there's nothing the matter with horn or pewter from one of the suppliers in our links section either.

You could even limber up the pocket knife and whittle your own. I find this a pleasant passtime between activities at events.

 

[Desert Ratxx]

In the kitchen gadget of any grocery store there are shallow wooden spoons with long handles that are real cheap. Cut the handle down to the size you want maybe take a few passes with a blade to give it the "carved" look and you got a good spoon. I've been using one for about 12 years. It's really nasty and I should probably toss it but I don't ever think about it until I'm packing up and then it's to late to get another one.

 

[cheatherly]

Atlanta Cutlery has a nice damascus knife and fork set. I don't know what time frame it would fit, I'll post the link if I can find it again.

 

[cheatherly]

http://www.atlantacutlery.com/webst...just_like_the_originals_1095_high_carbon.aspx

 

[Mad Professor]

Make your own!!!! "Chop sticks" can be had almost anywhere with no work. Takes about 5 minutes to whittle out a fork/spoon.

Well, I guess for a knife you need to find flint/rock or scrap metal.........

It is all around you...........just have to look!

 

[Thomas Roach]

Ghost,

His question was about eating utensils for the mid to late 18th century. There was no specific persona, or locale given therefore I referenced several sutlers that carry a variety of goods.

Lewis and Clark would be out of his time frame. :wink: I also offered what I personaly do. Each of us who do this from a historical point of view must search for waht is common for our locale and persona. :thumbsup:

I just hope every one has fun, I don't care if you bring plastic ware from the house. That is why most of us got into this hobby.

Take care, :hatsoff:

 

[JCW]

And I though that I was the only one using self made chop sticks!

 

right...don't believe all you 'hear' about this topic. regular knife-fork-spoon stuff was around in the mid 18th cent. Alot of what you use depends on your persona--specifically your nationality, economic status and specific conditions (in town, in camp...). I am geting a little tired of all the import horn spoons (and I have two). Period writings often mention pewter and silver and silver plated forks and spoons. Wooden spoons, too. I think ghost said you can go the a flea market or antique store and find silver/pewter/silver plate and use it--and he is right, just watch your 'pattern'--keep it simple. As to forks--it is in part nationality dependent. English clung to two-tined forks but the Spanish were using modern looking four-tined forks in the early 1700s! Three-tined forks were around too. You see alot of wood and tin cups/plates/bowls, but ceramics were real common, even fine china. Again, more common in town or at a station than in camp.

 

[George Holton]

Thomas R; To your post,I say AMEN. just keep it fun and dont worry about ... Bob

 

[Maestro]

I just hope every one has fun, I don't care if you bring plastic ware from the house. That is why most of us got into this hobby.

Why don't we just shoot AR-15's and wear polyester leisure suits?!

 

[spitpatch]

Try Dixie Catalog, I think I remember seeing something like that at one time.

 

[Swampman]

You can find them in junk & antique shops. A fork would be pretty rare in mid-18th c. America. Most common frontier folks were probably using one common bowl per family and their hands.

A Google search for (18th century fork) reveals some nice cheap original items.

 

You can find them in junk & antique shops. A fork would be pretty rare in mid-18th c. America. Most common frontier folks were probably using one common bowl per family and their hands.

A Google search for (18th century fork) reveals some nice cheap original items.

Again, this depends on persona. Maybe rare in a leanto in Kentucky in 1770. Common in Williamsburg or even maybe in Boonesborough after the first years. There are period reports of whole families eating with their hands out of a common bowl (this was Indian style by the way)--but there are also reports of fine china, silver utensils, etc. in farmhouses and forts. Archeological digs at Los Adaes--a Louisiana frontier fort of the 1716-1760s period turned up numerous examples of china and silverware, including a four tined fork. Obviously, if you are a longhunter or militiaman in the boonies on a hunt or expedition you will likely not be carrying china and much silver--but you could have a silver spoon in your kit, likely a tin cup and maybe a wood plate.

 

[Claude Mathis]

I just hope every one has fun, I don't care if you bring plastic ware from the house. That is why most of us got into this hobby.

Why don't we just shoot AR-15's and wear polyester leisure suits?!

This is a potentially volatile question, but an important one.

What is the "hobby"? It seems that the "hobby" needs to be defined prior to discussing it.

For some, shooting black powder is the hobby and they have no interest in history. That's a good hobby.

For others, the hobby is learning about and emulating history (the weapons, clothes, people, etc.). That's another good hobby.

I think confusion arises when we try to discuss both hobbies at once. :v

 

[Maestro]

Well said, Claude. :applause: If we keep the idea in mind that we're possibly representing or referring to different hobbies we can avoid the whole banter back and forth over PC-ness.

Back on topic: I have some nice 2-tine forged iron forks in our camp box that I bought from G. Gedney Godwin. The tines are pretty wide-spaced so there only good for spearing a piece of meat or the like.

Godwin's Forks

 

[PvtC]

I've down sized to a wooden bowl, a horn spoon, and a tin cup. I cut food with my belt knife which is OK cause I have not yet had occasion to kill someone with it :wink:

 

I've down sized to a wooden bowl, a horn spoon, and a tin cup. I cut food with my belt knife which is OK cause I have not yet had occasion to kill someone with it :wink:

That ought to do it. Just recently we replaced our tinware with period ceramic ware from Quebec for our 1740s french fort reenactments. Too heavy to pack along on treks, but will work fine in the fort environs. Nothing is handier than the tin cup. I too use my belt or garter knife to cut food. But we traded our horn spoons for flea market found silver plated ones--you'd be surprised at how often silver plate is mentioned in old texts.

 

[mmahlock]

If you're not hard over for "primitive" eating ware, take a look at these silverware patterns. Many of these or very similar patterns are still available from current manufactures in the U.S.

M.P. Levene of London