My kingdom for a spoon
December 28, 2006|
Submitted by Eric Daniel
I would have never thought the day would come where I’d sell my soul for a spoon (or a P-38 can opener for that matter) but come it did when, as a USFS firefighter we were airlifted rations on the last flight of the day and what should arrive but 2 cases of Hormel chili - without any means of opening the tins, much less cooking and consuming the contents. Needless to say we all got some practice in cooking Paul Bunyan style (you try opening a can of chili with an axe some day, it’s harder than it sounds) and I swore then and there I would never deploy anywhere without a P-38 and a spoon. My favorite, hands down, is the GI issue mess spoon. It’s big, so you can eat fast and dig deep into those MRE bags, it’s stainless steel so it won’t break when you drop it, step on it, or when it gets cold (and it won’t melt when it gets hot), and it has a hole in it where I can tie it to my kit so I don’t forget it.
...too bad about the chili. did you use your knife to carve a spoon or two? harder than making chopsticks but still possible. 80)
Posted by: keng | December 28, 2006 at 10:34 AM
Actually, we bashed the ends in with axe heads, heated the chili over burning stump holes, and sort of drank/shoveled the chili out using sticks. A messy operation too be sure.
Posted by: Eric Daniel | December 28, 2006 at 10:45 AM
Gee, now I know why I have carried a swiss army knife with me since the 5th SFG (Abn)issued me one in Vietnam circa 1964! (it has a can opener on it)
Posted by: Martyn C. Reiss | December 31, 2006 at 01:47 PM
SO - who the FUCK would go ANYWHERE without a POCKET KNIFE ??
WHO would go out in the woods to fight big fires without a nice BIG HUNTING KNIFE or BAYONET ??
Posted by: dudley dooright | January 04, 2007 at 12:02 PM
Ahh.. the quest for the perfect racing spoon. When it comes to a shared lunch... he who has the biggest spoon gets the most! but too big and it wont fit in the tin.
Posted by: SixThree | January 10, 2007 at 03:49 PM
In the Korean war we carried a GI issue mess kit spoon in the shirt pocket of fatigues and a P38 stowed some where. Of course we had our issue bayonets but it was just a lot easier to use the P38. The spoon worked for cutting food too.
Posted by: robert Wood | January 11, 2007 at 10:47 AM
Ah! The good 'ol E-Tool! aka mess kit spoon. I typically ditched the shit skillet and kept the spoon in a thigh pocket. P38 on my dog tag chain. (of course, several times while going prone, the P38 just about opened my ribcage for me!) took a while to learn to use the short bit of dog tag chain to fasten the P38 to the E-Tool (the dog tabs being laced into my boots). Also used to heat c-rations by leaving them on the engine block of the track for a few hours.
Posted by: Jeffrey A. Thomas | January 15, 2007 at 09:06 AM
When I was in about 50 years ago, we used a bootleg "keychain can opener" now available on eBay for 49 cents. It may be seen here:
http://i20.ebayimg.com/07/i/000/86/77/e71b_1_b.JPG
Posted by: tom2 | February 15, 2007 at 08:05 AM
Ahh, yes, the mess-kit spoon! Ive had one for the last 25 years around the house, and it's still "Dad's spoon". Just remember to clean the damn thing THOROUGHLY, or remember to bring an extra roll of Butt-Wipe...Cause, if you forget either/both, you're gonna hate what happens next!
Posted by: Mike | February 15, 2007 at 03:36 PM
Google "titanium spoon". Many are available. MSR makes one that doubles as a stove tool. It weighs .79 oz / 22 grams. At $16 it's pricey, but it won't break.
Posted by: Gerry | April 19, 2007 at 01:59 AM
TITANIUM SPORK - join the cult
Posted by: Madigan | August 01, 2007 at 11:05 AM