Consider the spork. A fast food and backpacking staple, the hybrid spoon-fork eating utensil’s utility is winning over the world of haute cuisine and inspiring other clever combinations.

The Michelin-starred restaurant D’O outside of Milan serves silky Risotto alla Milanese, which uses only local Italian saffron costing hundreds of euro per ounce. But don’t ask for a spoon, because Chef Davide Olandi serves his internationally renowned cuisine with sporks.

The first patents for sporks appeared in the U.S. in the late 19th century, as we transitioned from Downton Abbey to downtown factories. Sporks were likely reassuring at a time when a single diner could face scores of specialized utensils (bouillon spoon, fruit knife, oyster fork, porringer) at her place.

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