August 21, 2009 at 5:14 PM

The Evils of Forks



We knew that religious concerns stopped the progress of math and science in Europe for several centuries during the middle ages; we learned today via Lori's blog that religion also caused Europe to fall behind in the adoption of the most evil of technologies: forks.

From Design Sponge: The first dining forks were used by the nobility in the Middle East and the Byzantine Empire. When in 1004 Maria Argyropoulina, niece of the Byzantine Emperor was married in Venice to Giovanni, son of the Doge of Venice, she brought with her a little case of golden forks, which she used at her wedding feast. The Venetians were shocked at this strange utensil and when Maria died two years later of the plague, Saint Peter Damian proclaimed that this was God’s punishment for use immoral use of the fork: "Nor did she deign to touch her food with her fingers, but would command her eunuchs to cut it up into small pieces, which she would impale on a certain golden instrument with two prongs and thus carry to her mouth.... this woman’s vanity was hateful to Almighty God; and so, unmistakably, did He take his revenge." With such an ominous beginning, it’s no wonder that it took centuries for the fork to work it’s way into Italian culture. It wasn’t until the late 15th century many of the Italian nobility and merchant class used a dining fork.

Fork illustration by Julia Rothman.

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