The Spoon Inherited from Grandpa

Mehmet has a wooden spoon, passed down from both his grandfather and father, now kept safely and half-worn from use. Valuing not only culinary culture but also tradition, “Grandpa” 7 Mehmet’s relationship with Hakkı Bey is recounted by “grandson” Mehmet:

“We have a large wooden spoon that my grandfather bought during the Yayla Palas era and used for cooking. When my father worked in the kitchen as a young man beside my grandfather, he never liked using this spoon. He thought it was old. He complained that its color had darkened from long use and that one side had worn down from scraping the edges of pots while my grandfather stirred his dishes. One day, my father pointed out that the spoon was half-burned and the handle broken, and said, ‘Throw this spoon away.’ My grandfather replied, ‘Son, we’ve earned so much bread thanks to this spoon—how could I ever throw it away!’ Today, I keep that spoon in a safe place. Every time I look at it, I see our past and our traditions.”