SILVERWARE

With the global financial crisis destroying the economy, I’ve been looking around the house for things to sell. I gathered up Peter’s athletic trophies and, while they are impressive, they’re of questionable value to anybody but the family. I checked out our TV but it’s so old it’s not even Smart! I thought about selling tomatoes and kale from our garden, but it’s hardly Spring, (as you will notice from a view out your window this morning).

Then I came across our silver flatware.

I grew up during the time when Sunday Dinners were formal affairs. The husband and wife sat at either end of the table, with the children and guests on the sides. The husband had the roast beef or the turkey on a platter in front of him, with the silver carving set nearby. He would expertly carve a portion of meat and send the dinner plate down to the wife, who would add the vegetables using her massive silver serving spoons. Then the plate would be handed to one of the females at the table, who had to wait for all the others to receive their plates. By that time, the first person’s serving would be cold.

Then everyone carefully eyed their place settings of silver flatware, trying to determine the correct piece for eating: big fork, medium fork, small fork, or tiny fork? Meanwhile it was the job of the hosts to choose an appropriate topic for conversation, one which was intended to carry on until all the cutlery had been used.

Who eats like this any more? Who can even afford a roast of beef? Certainly not families with two parents working and daycare and laundry and homework and making lunches. Certainly not retirees living on a fixed income and eating meals in front of the TV. As for Peter and me, we use our silverware a few times a year, when the entire family comes to visit on special occasions like Easter. The main reason we use it is because there are enough pieces to go around.

But does anyone even notice that we are using it? Do any of the grandkids ever say “Nice salad forks, Nana.”? Nope. Nobody even mentions when the silver is tarnished. And that brings me to another issue – cleaning it. None of us got an education so we could spend hours with our Silvo or Haggerty’s polish, cleaning all those little scrolls and tines. Once I cheated and used aluminum foil and baking soda in a sink full of hot water. I could imagine my ancestors staring down from above. “The silver will never last if you treat it like that!”

My silverware had its day. Now nobody wants it. BUT, since I’ve been watching the stock market these last few days, I have noticed that the price of pure silver is quite high. Maybe there’s a different life in store for my forks, knives, and spoons. Meanwhile I’ve taken them to the bank for safekeeping. At Easter we’ll use the mismatched kitchen stuff. I’ll let you know if anybody notices.

Sue