Spork!

I have a confession: I hate plastic ware. You know, forks, spoons, knives, chopsticks that are designed to be used once and then live forever in a landfill? As an anthropologist I have a legitimate concern that when the aliens come to Earth in a million years they will believe we worshiped plastic because it will be all that remains.

Reflecting back to a travel day that included oatmeal for breakfast, an airport salad for lunch and a burrito bowl for dinner (taken back to the hotel) I counted two spoons, two forks, and two knives that entered my custody. And I was smart enough at the time to stir my coffee with my spoon rather than a stir stick. My dinner wouldn't have been so bad except the restaurant only distributed those "handy" packs of a complete set of plasticware accompanied by a paper napkin and salt and pepper.

My aversion got so bad that when I was on the run I started to order food based on whether or not it required the use of utensils. This was an enlightening way to travel and I ate lots of bananas and burritos. Now, I'm a big fan for one-handed-foods, like fruits, bagels, burritos and sandwiches, but there comes a time on the road when one wants to mix it up and eat a salad or soup.

The answer to all of my problems was a small piece of bamboo formed into a fork on one end and a spoon on the other. Not only was it small and convenient, it fit nicely into my purse and didn't draw any unwanted attention from security professionals. I keep one in the inner pocket of my purse and use it whenever I have a meal on the go. I also keep one in my car and a bag of many others to give as gifts.

Sustainable, reusable, handy, and very easy to wash in the sink, the travel-spork has been all over the country with me. Maybe you should buy a pack, too?

I use Bambu reusable sporks. I hear they also make some 'single use' varieties, but that doesn't make any sense to me. Here is a link to the product on ReUseIt.com (note: I get no kickbacks from either company).

Happy travels, and let's keep those aliens guessing!