Stories Collected While Living in France

French la Vie

Silver Spoons and Friends

When I was a little girl my Mother taught me how to set the table. Every evening the chatter went on in my head, "Fork on the left, knife on the right, blade facing towards the plate, soup spoon by the knife…"

It was the sing-song that guided the silverware to the proper places. The small task of setting the table for my family was a simple pleasure I enjoyed. Occasionally I would accidentally drop one of the pieces on the floor. The cling-clinging sound always followed with my Mother saying, "Oh company is coming! I wonder who it will be? If you dropped a teaspoon a child will come to visit. If you dropped a knife a man will be your guest, and if you dropped a fork a woman will surely drop-in!" That set my heart smiling I loved company! Many times I was tempted to drop every piece!

Photo: 19th century antique French silverware, forks, knives, teaspoons…plus soup spoons, cheese knife, coffee spoon, dessert fork…I wonder what guest they represent!

Comments

18 responses to “Silver Spoons and Friends”

  1. misschrisc

    My grandmother used to have the same superstitions about dropped forks and spoons and I loved it too.

    Reply
  2. ms*robyn

    I adore old cutlery. I miss all those lovely old superstitions from days past – thanks for the memories Corey.

    Reply
  3. Carol

    Ah the beautiful silver! I have some too, that I’ve got from my mum. I’ve never heard about guests coming when a spoon, or fork is falling down, but I have to try that out!

    Reply
  4. D

    Reminds me of the holidays back home. My mom would only let us use the good silverware for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Ah, memories!

    Reply
  5. andrea

    Ohhhh look at all of this yumminess! I love silver pieces too. I mix and match patterns and have a great display come the holidays.
    a.
    Oh and my mom used to YELL, “fork on the left”..that’s all I know now, FORK ON THE LEFT, lol.

    Reply
  6. angela

    or what conversations these guests, enjoying the silver, a lovingly cooked meal, good wine and companionship… shared with one another.
    i just recently found my boyfriend’s mothers old silver [however, not as old as these beauties] in the basement. i instantly claimed them as mine.
    what a beautiful wall installation these could be in the kitchen.
    your treasures are always so heart warming. i would love to go on flea market hunts with you.
    ang.

    Reply
  7. Paola

    Oh I love that superstition! I’ve never heard it before but will make sure I pass it on to my daughter…
    By the way, I love how every one of your photos has just the right BACKGROUND. That old piece of linen is perfect with the cutlery.

    Reply
  8. susan

    My great aunt Florence and Grace would remind me gently about the table setting in a song so similar to the one you posted! It brings back fond memories and I still feel close to them when using those implements! Thank you for the memory – and the photo, simply beautiful!
    -Susan

    Reply
  9. Josephine

    That’s priceless! That you enjoyed setting the table for your family.
    It reminds me of when I used to be a server. My favorite part of the job was setting dozens of white linen tables with shining silverware, one water glass, two wine glasses, and the salad plate on top of the dinner plate.
    It was almost meditative! Great photo, the silver portrayed very well ~

    Reply
  10. mikaelah

    oh if only the cutlery could talk! What a lovely mixture of silver tones and shapes all nestled together.

    Reply
  11. diana

    I loved to set the table as a girl….still love
    setting it.. love to mix and match the
    silverware and the dishes too ! When I
    was a girl I had a napkin folding book that
    I used to make many variations in folding
    the napkins. Still have that book ! When
    my kids were younger I started keeping a
    little prayer/blessing book on the table
    for the kids to use when they wanted help
    with the prayer. I think I like getting the table ready more than cooking !

    Reply
  12. Kerry

    Love all the old silver Corey and beautiful little snippet into your childhood too. I’ve never heard that superstition ~ a friend (old flatmate) of mine was crazy about cutlery superstitions and if ever she dropped a piece on the floor she would call out for me to pick it up. Apparently, it was bad luck to pick up the piece you had dropped (maybe just lazy!?!). Come to think of it, most of the superstitions I grew up with involve luck or the removal of … (my mother folds all of her teatowels a certain way or it’s bad luck!!!) … It’s a wonder I’m not neurotic.

    Reply
  13. bluesmama

    Drop a spoon, company soon. Drop a knife, fight with your wife. Drop a fork..I have no idea. Granny never told me that one. But it never fails, every time I drop cutlery I think something’s going to happen. And of course, it usually does, in the wonderful random yet interconnected way life goes.

    Reply
  14. Tongue in Cheek Antiques

    Blue Said:”I think something’s going to happen. And of course, it usually does, in the wonderful random yet interconnected way life goes.”
    Diana said:”I think I like getting the table ready more than cooking!”
    Kery said:”(my mother folds all of her teatowels a certain way or it’s bad luck!!!) … It’s a wonder I’m not neurotic.”
    Mikaelah said:”oh if only the cutlery could talk!”
    Josephine said: “It was almost meditative!”
    Susan said,”It brings back fond memories!”
    Paola said:”I pass it on to my daughter…”
    Angela said:”what a beautiful wall installation these could be in the kitchen.”
    Andrea said:” I mix and match patterns”
    D said:”Ah, memories!”
    Carol said:”beautiful silver!”
    ms robyn said:”I adore old cutlery”
    misschris said:” I loved it too!”
    And I couldn’t agree more with all of you, exactly what you said and how you said it! Thank you for adding onto my blog with your wise, rich and delightful comments! You can all come and set the table with me..I have dropped all the silverware tonight in honor of you!!

    Reply
  15. peggy

    I love the little sing while sitting the table but had never heard about dropping the silver. Wish my parents or grandparents were around so I could ask them.

    Reply
  16. mikaelah

    oh I love that we are all invited! Can I be the dessert fork???? My son would be dropping everything if I told him this rhyme… but I am going to anyway.

    Reply
  17. lauren Mumford

    MY MY! What a popular gal you’ve become!! lol No wonder with the amazing things you add to your blog everyday!! Beauty at every turn. Hugs to you Corey!
    :o)

    Reply
  18. Lee

    Whenever I meet up with antiques (of any sort, but cutlery is good for this) my natural inclination is to wonder what stories it could tell. Who ate with these utensils? What were they like? What sort of meals did they have?

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Privacy Policy - Terms and Conditions