Calis Beach and Fethiye Turkey Discussion Forum
General Topics => The Debating Chamber => Topic started by: Colwyn on November 26, 2011, 19:24:37 PM
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Go on, admit it. In your cutlery draw do you have special "fish" knives and forks? Go on, do you?
We used to. Hilary would always insist that this was a necessary feature of a full "canteen" of cutlery. We managed to get through several sets of these (you know we lost three forks, two knives, and a couple of spoons got broken, so we had to buy another) before I plucked up enough coursge to tell her about "fish cutlery" business. Fish cutlery was used by the aristocracy. It was used because their usual silver would tarnish if used for fish. It would tarnish because our rather inbred aristocracy of limited intellectual ability, could imagine no other way of eating fish other than with a slice of lemon. And the acid in the lemon would tarnish the silver cultery. So you had to have special steel cutlery with which to eat fish.
Now, we have never owned any silver cutlery. I wasn't even born with a silver spoon in my mouth. All of our cutlery has always been stainless steel. Hence we have no need for special fish knives and forks. What about you?
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I am just a normal knife and fork user.
Never found the need as anytime we have had a dinner for family or friends we tend to stick to meat and two or more veg.
I can see why she would like to have them as there is nothing nicer that a well set table. I thought mine was ok but my daughter-in-law does a lovely table. (it's a woman thing)
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Colwyn your choices of subject are incredibly consistent in their equal combination of the banal yet drearily fascinating. I wonder what it was that made a fish knife more suitable than a knife. As a life long consumer and appreciator of fish, I found a fish knife to be somewhat crap.
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I have had lots of sets of fish knives and forks in the last 20 odd years. Lots still in the original boxes, mostly given as Wedding presents and never used. Last set I sold had the original card in it wishing the couple a long and happy marriage. Dated 1932. I sold it to a Canadian lady. The Americans and Canadians love this sort of cutlery. However, most of it has silver collars and even handles, but the blades are usually stainless steel or silver plate, as silver is such a soft metal it's not suitable to use as a cutting tool.
If you would ever like another set Colwyn, you know where to come.
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Yes, Mummy and Daddy had a huge canteen of silver cutlery and when we had a fish course we had to use the appropriate cutlery otherwise Jenks, the Butler, would go to town on me later. ;)
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Here you go Colwyn, have a bid
http://www.davidlay.co.uk/BidCat/detail.asp?SaleRef=A046&LotRef=2139
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I have to watch out for splinters when using my fish cutlery .