Fork as Symbol
As a last minute addition to my project, this page will not be very developed. As I was writing, I noticed the juxtaposition of fork as a symbol of moderation (civility) and gluttony/excess (barbarism). At the same time, the image of someone eating with their hands, scarfing food into their mouth, is also deemed quite 'barbaric'. The fork, then, seems to, at least today, transcend that barrier: Initially, it was regarded as a haughty extravagance; then, as a necessity for civilized eating; now, one can be quite uncivilized even when using a fork for all eating!
(These are, admittedly, not the best example pictures, given the man's expression on the right!)
This might not be so unusual in itself: the gun, for example, may symbolize freedom as well as oppression.
Images from http://picasaweb.google.com/samantha.yf.kwok/SpoonForkApricotTreeAug212007#5103415818266470722 and http://cdn-www.expertvillage.com/showImage.aspx?site=21&fn=table-etiquette-continental-style-cutting.jpg, respectively
