LOS in Italy
Lemon Flag 
While in Milan I had the fortune of staying at an exquisite hotel that presented myself with a great deal of choices in how I might enjoy a coffee or tea in the privacy of my own room. Of the various implements available, I chose among the teaspoons this pared-down object that sits in the foreground. If I were more cultured, I would know its name. I’m sure someone out there can help me out with this, but its name matters little right now for me to continue.
When mixing a big sugar cube into a hot coffee, the teaspoon isn’t the best device to coerce the cube into melting. Do you scoop the cube in the curve of the spoon, then drop it back into the coffee? And just continue to do so? Seems a bit tacky to me.
Thus I enjoyed the “un-spoon” made available to me here, as it had real heft. The process of piercing the sugar cube was quite simple. Furthermore when swirling the coffee, the side blades did a great job at quickly rendering the sugar into the liquid. I wondered to myself, “Is this a teaspoon?” No. It seems specifically designed to attack the sugar cube. I felt it was something like a reduce-ed teaspoon, if such an object could exist.
Then again, I may have made a mistake and this little “sugar axe” as I call it was perhaps supposed to be used to turn on my TV instead, and really didn’t belong in the coffee server. I am known to have made such mistakes in the past. In this case, maybe it was not an error. Oh, what is this thing called?
20 Responses to “Sugar Axe”
subscribe
Ciao John.
I just bought your book in Milan and almost finished it. Besides some translation difficulties I find it a nice and useful book. I will suggest it to some friends of mine and probably also to Landor associates, the firm that just “designed” the incomprensible logo for my country.
About the “un-spoon”, I have been drinking coffee since the early age of 8 (thus my latent hyperactivity) and I’ve never seen that thing before. Tomorrow I’ll ask to my trustworthy bartender and I’ll be able to tell its mysterious purpose.
Hi Danilo, Thanks for trying to uncover the mystery of the sugar axe. I was tempted to steal it from my room but I’m trying to be honest. John
Hi John,
I enjoyed so much your presentation here in Milan, thank you. I put a post about you in my blog, sorry it’s in Italian
About the “flat spoon”…oh well…
if you don’t need to take sugar out of a sugar bowl…. you just don’t need a spoon anymore! I think one side of the un-spoon helps you lift the solid piece of sugar from the hole, the other side is great for mix it in the cup.
Moreover the “un-spoon” is funny and nice and adds emotions to your everyday coffee(Law 7!).
To answer your question I’ve seen something similar in a fancy bar here in Italy. It’s sort of a flat spoon called Illy Ombra.
ciao for now
sabrina
Hello Sabrina, Thank you for your post. I wish I knew that the little sugar axe was a special item. I had just assumed it was my ignorance about the many wonderful European traditions. My ignorance remains, but my passion for the sugar axe remains strong. Best wishes, John
Hi John.
Haven’t seen thing like that in India.
Let me tell you what I use to axe the sugar. I use thin disposable plastic pipes (I do not know it’s name, uncultured me), I just stir three or four times, the sugar cubes all but dissolved. By the way I use fork to get the cubes out of the bottle.
A straw! That’s much simpler! Thanks for reminding us Karthi that there’s always more room to reduce. Best wishes, John
Hi John,
maybe it works putting the spoon into the sugar hole and with the stirring movement that usually you do to make the sugar melting with the coffe, the sugar cube will dissolve and will melt better with the other elements.
Maybe
You can look some fun Ipod Carnival characters from Italy in www.designtrotter, very funny indeed.
DT
Or I guess you could just wait. Perhaps the simplest method of all. Who cares about the 3rd law of simplicity anyways
Forget the spoon — how about that sugar delivery unit?
It’s so much smarter than the typical sugar “cube”. It’s a parallel flat toroid, maximizing the surface to volume ratio to maximize the solubility coefficient.
Beautiful. Thank you for this wonderful post.
Hello,
probably the hotel you stayed was of a certain level.
I think it’s none more than a stylish evolution of a classic teaspoon keeping a look at the little plastic paddles that any automatic distributor ( ) would give.
I’d call it “cucchiaino” (teaspoon) or “palettina” (little paddle) in italian.
Bye
It’s strange as later when I look at it, the “palettina” as Suppa calls it looks awfully similar to a regular flathead screwdriver (smile).
Yes you can just wait, but having the spoon you have the chance to decide between waiting and follow the third LOS. Called “free will”
Maestro,
Milan is design, disegno. Look the bird named Milano and you know Why. And go to the fashion Week. The REDUCE clothes are beautiful, also.
Hi Jorge, can you give me the link where can I find the Milan bird photo? I’ve never seen it even if I live in Milan.
Thanks
DT
Maestro,
Yhe link to Milano bird. Look it and see the people in the city. Both are =
http://www.cites.org/esp/gallery/species/bird/yellow_billed_kite.html
This is a fantastic tool! I drink a lot of tea and seldom want to use the entire cube. I’m linking to you on my blog.
I think it’s called a spatula. They are also found in the chemistry lab.
Hi John,
I just finished LOS. I enjoyed it very much. simple, pure and beautiful truths.
thats a good way. thank you!
greetings from Germany,
timto
Here’s some inspiration…
What about a spoon made of sugar?
Melts as you stir.
Homemade Porn Clip…
Its interesting, THX…