Forks are better than spoons.

I will first answer each of your points in turn. <<"This isn't really an argument based on necessity, it's based on efficiency">> I'm sorry but I fail to see how the term "efficiency" can be applied to the merit of an eating utensil. Anyways, if it's necessary, that means it is useful, which would constitute as giving the utensil merit. <<"Regardless of whether we need either of them, humans are always going to use them">> Yes, but we could still say that spoons are "better" because they are more useful and serve more of a purpose. <<"For those foods that can't be eaten with forks, you can slurp them">> Ah yes, but now we must compare eating with one's hands as I suggest or eating with one's face as my opponent suggests. Slurping implies bending over and slurping up your food, which can be difficult and messy if you are eating something like yogurt, off of a plate. If we were canines, I would agree that slurping is more convenient. However, we are primates, with opposable thumbs. We have our own eating utensils built into our body: hands. It is much more convenient for us primates to pick up our food and place it into our mouths then to hunch over and use our flat, snout-less faces to slurp up food. <<"'Cause it's just the cool kid thing to do.">> Actually the cool thing to do is use a Spork, but that's outside the range of this debate. <<"But you can't really slurp salad or macaroni and cheese, which is like my favorite meal of all time.">> Yes, but you CAN eat salad with your hands, or eat macaroni and cheese with a spoon. <<"Aside from just being used to eat, forks are physically cooler!">> More like dangerous, they are sharp and could hurt little kids. <<"They're more interesting to look at, even if they're just plain plastic ware used for picnics.">> More interesting to look at?! Have you ever looked at a spoon? You can see you're reflection, but it's a cool distorted reflection you can use to mess with your features. You can make your mouth giant, or your forehead wide. It's literally hours of entertainment. <<"They feel better">> They feel sharp and painful. <<"the word spoon is much cooler than the word fork, so I'll give you that.">> Yes, and it is also the name of an awesome band from Austin, Texas, which is where I live. <<"In oriental culture..I've seen forks. At Panda express they have forks.">> Here is what Wikipedia says on Panda Express: "Panda Express is a fast casual restaurant chain serving Americanized Chinese cuisine. It operates mainly inside the United States of America, in shopping malls, supermarkets, airports, train stations, strip plazas, theme parks, college campuses and The Pentagon. It is one of the largest such chains of Chinese fast food restaurants in the United States." That's right, not Chinese cuisine, but "Americanized Chinese cuisine". This does not prove anything about oriental culture, and Ill wager the Panda express you went to was in the US. The Oriental culture at panda express has been adapted to a western world, for americans. <<"If you're talking authentic, I'm sure if you fly to Asia they incorporate forks into their meals.">> Whether or not they, in this modern globalized age, use forks is irrelevant, the point I was making is that you can easily do without forks. <<"I believe they primarily use chopsticks. Which are undoubtedly more similar to forks than spoons.">> This is another reason why the fork is inferior. It is not as unique. It is unimportant, and can be easily substituted with hands, or chopsticks. Forks are a western thing, and aren't that special in the big sense. Spoons however, are universal. In Asia where chopsticks are used to fill the "fork" niche, they still have Spoons, because for them there is NO substitute. They are THE utensil, which you can't ever do without. They are the god of all eating devices; they are the ultimate eating utensils. What is a measly fork but a vain and trivial thing compared to this mighty tool of eating that is the Spoon? Spoons have been around for a long time. Forks and chopsticks are interesting inventions, but they are unimportant and unnecessary. Utensils of that kind are just vain things to keep your hands clean. Spoons however, are a fundamental part of eating. Whether scooping up water with a leaf, or using a stainless steel Spoon, it is essential to the concept of eating that you have something to pick up foods which are liquid. Solid pieces of food can be eaten with one's hands, but not having snouts we must have spoons. All of yesterday and so far today (haven't had dinner yet) I have used a spoon 5 times, and not used a fork once (cereal, split pea soup, ice cream, coffee, cereal). I also yesterday found my self in a situation at lunch where I had brought yogurt, but had forgotten to bring a spoon, and so was unable to eat that. I give you my word that I did not modify my diet to use as evidence, nor make up what I have eaten. This just proves that spoons are more useful than forks. -Harlan