Fish Knife By Diana Calaway

FISH KNIFE

By Diana Calaway

There we were at the luncheon table in the home of Di and Paddy, our dear friends in London. He had arranged a tour of the UK for us, thanks to the acquisition of our North Carolina company by his firm.

We had seen Stonehenge and Canterbury Cathedral where Thomas a Beckett was murdered. We were about to embark on a journey by train to northern Scotland to tour Balmoral Castle and see Loch Lomand among other things. Then to watch a performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream in Shakespeare's own Stratford Upon Avon. Years later I would pull out the papers from this dream trip and learn that the role of Oberon had been played by then young Patrick Stewart.

But today we were enjoying a quiet lunch with Di and Paddy.

Babbling idiotically but enthusiastically, I was describing the warnings of my neighbor who had visited England before: “You won't know what to do with the silverware,” she said. “They spread it out from here to here (arms wide apart). And you may even have to deal with a fish knife.”

Confidently, I admitted that after three whole days in England, I had not yet encountered a fish knife.

“Oh yes you have,” replied my host. “You have just buttered your bread with one.”

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