The Long Spoon
I have three long wooden spoons in my kitchen, which I keep in a drawer. Two of them are a matched pair, probably intended for tossing salads. The third is different and may be the remnant of another pair. When I just need to use a long wooden spoon to stir something on the stove, it does not matter which spoon I use. However a certain fastidiousness in my nature moves me to want to use the odd spoon rather than one of the extant pair. But this in turn has introduced a subtle discomfort into my kitchen routine. For although, as indicated, I was aware that the “third” spoon was different from the two others, I could not readily pick it out when reaching into the drawer. It would require a certain mental effort to fumble for the odd one, even when glancing into the drawer. Sometimes I would even end up with one of the pair inadvertently. As you can see, I am downright Proustian in my sensibilities. Heretofore these have been a mixed blessing, since, as noted, even spoon