fork.jpg

November 19, 2013 9:58 AM

Years ago, there was a deleted thread, the content of which, or a comment in which was a jpg of a fork. A funny reference to it came up as the first comment (or on of the first) in a non-deleted thread shortly thereafter and got a lot of favorites. Does anyone have any idea what I am talking about?
posted by griphus to MetaFilter-Related at 9:58 AM (48 comments total)

You sure it wasn't a fnord?
posted by Curious Artificer at 10:38 AM on November 19, 2013 [1 favorite]

Is this one of those "fork give and fork get" kind of situations?
posted by GenjiandProust at 10:44 AM on November 19, 2013 [10 favorites]

Around a major summer holiday in the US? Like the fork of July?
posted by tilde at 10:46 AM on November 19, 2013

May the fork be with you
posted by edgeways at 10:50 AM on November 19, 2013

Welcome back, item.

Give it a day. Someone else will find the forking thing so you don't have to.
posted by zarq at 10:54 AM on November 19, 2013 [1 favorite]

Oh, and griphus other than this I got nothin'
posted by zarq at 10:55 AM on November 19, 2013 [1 favorite]

Oh shit, item, I didn't realize you'd left. Welcome back.
posted by Pope Guilty at 11:00 AM on November 19, 2013

Archive spelunkers, you'll want to look back before October 22, 2006, if the fork in question was an embedded image.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:01 AM on November 19, 2013 [2 favorites]

GenjiandProust: Is this one of those "fork give and fork get" kind of situations?

Believe it or not, you're the first person to post that pun anywhere on MetaFilter or the sub-sites.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:03 AM on November 19, 2013 [5 favorites]

Believe it or not

So I am cliche and original, in one genre-defying package?
posted by GenjiandProust at 11:08 AM on November 19, 2013 [4 favorites]

Archive spelunkers, you'll want to look back before October 22, 2006, if the fork in question was an embedded image.

I was a lurker and pretty bummed at the time, but with seven years' retrospect I think it's probably the consensus that MeFi without images just feels better.
posted by Pope Guilty at 11:20 AM on November 19, 2013 [4 favorites]

Agreed. I thought this comment in the "How does MeFi age?" thread hit the nail on the head.
posted by Chrysostom at 11:24 AM on November 19, 2013 [2 favorites]

It wasn't embedded, it was definitely a link.
posted by griphus at 11:26 AM on November 19, 2013

Also I think the fork image may have been posted accidentally instead of the link the person meant to post and that is why it was funny.
posted by griphus at 11:27 AM on November 19, 2013

How do you know you mefi too hard?

When you google "site:metatalk.metafilter.com fork" and do an image search and find a picture of yourself.
posted by phunniemee at 11:36 AM on November 19, 2013 [10 favorites]

Specifically this one. griphus, am I your mystery fork?
posted by phunniemee at 11:37 AM on November 19, 2013 [2 favorites]

Man, fork if I know.
posted by cortex (staff) at 11:44 AM on November 19, 2013 [1 favorite]

Around a major summer holiday in the US? Like the fork of July?

Or ValenTine's Day?
posted by carmicha at 11:47 AM on November 19, 2013 [13 favorites]

This thread is like 10,000 spoons when all griphus needs is a fork.
posted by Atom Eyes at 12:00 PM on November 19, 2013 [17 favorites]

Is this something you could use the inforkdump for?
posted by bondcliff at 12:20 PM on November 19, 2013 [3 favorites]

Stick a spork in it, you're done.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 12:25 PM on November 19, 2013

I always wondered why they were called sporks. Why spork, and not foon?
posted by Melismata at 12:38 PM on November 19, 2013

I think that question answers itself, Melismata.
posted by Chrysostom at 12:45 PM on November 19, 2013 [1 favorite]

I always wondered why they were called sporks. Why spork, and not foon?

Copyright issues.
posted by phunniemee at 12:58 PM on November 19, 2013 [1 favorite]

Melismata: I always wondered why they were called sporks. Why spork, and not foon?

A few of my friends, like many geeky high school kids who enjoyed playing with language and words, opted to call them "foons" for a while, and I'm sure some of them referred to them as "runcible spoons," too.
posted by filthy light thief at 1:15 PM on November 19, 2013

An ansible spoon would let you eat your soup at work even if you left it at home.
posted by griphus at 1:19 PM on November 19, 2013 [4 favorites]

I prefer my spoons to be Runcible.
posted by Pope Guilty at 1:53 PM on November 19, 2013

"Foon" just sounds foony.
posted by Wolfdog at 3:43 PM on November 19, 2013

Guys, quit fooning around. Dude just needs a forking answer.
posted by Cold Lurkey at 4:02 PM on November 19, 2013 [1 favorite]

Is this something I'd need a cutlery drawer to understand?

Welcome back, item!
posted by arcticseal at 4:44 PM on November 19, 2013 [3 favorites]

Fork, schpork.
posted by tomboko at 5:22 PM on November 19, 2013

Edward Macaroni Fork.
posted by Tanizaki at 5:57 PM on November 19, 2013

Fork in the road.
posted by dancestoblue at 6:18 PM on November 19, 2013

Fork in the road at actual fork in the road.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 6:42 PM on November 19, 2013 [3 favorites]

I think I remember this thread. If it's the one I'm thinking of, it had to do with ugly public art or weird sculptures in cities, and I'm pretty sure the comment linked to the fork in jessamyn's picture, although probably not that exact image. It only stuck in my head because I grew up a stone's throw from Pasadena, so I savor the near-hometown shout-outs when I can.
posted by Diagonalize at 7:26 PM on November 19, 2013

Believe it or not, you're the first person to post that pun anywhere on MetaFilter or the sub-sites.

Here's an early prototype.
posted by stebulus at 7:36 PM on November 19, 2013

I totally remember this, too! It gave me a grin.

Unfortunately, I can't at all remember how it came to be or how to find it, and if item can't find it, I have no hope at all.
posted by batmonkey at 9:13 PM on November 19, 2013

I think I remember this too. And though I was a lurker before I joined, I would've had to have the deleted threads script installed to appreciate it, so if I am remembering the same thing, I would put the date sometime after mid-2009 (there is of course the distinct possibility that I am remembering something different, or something completely unrelated, in which case I'm no help here).
posted by gubenuj at 9:32 PM on November 19, 2013

So are we giving up on this? Is the consensus a fork-gone conclusion?
posted by Eideteker at 10:38 PM on November 19, 2013 [1 favorite]

Prongably.
posted by flabdablet at 1:23 AM on November 20, 2013 [1 favorite]

Can't spare the tine.
posted by tomboko at 1:27 AM on November 20, 2013

Yeah, we trident 'til we realized this was one fish we just couldn't spear.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane (staff) at 1:27 AM on November 20, 2013 [1 favorite]

What I really want is a thurible spoon, so that everything I eat turns to delicious barbecue.
posted by ambrosen at 4:44 AM on November 20, 2013

jessamyn: "Fork in the road at actual fork in the road."

Ooooh, there's one of these near where my Dad lives, too!
posted by Grither at 4:58 AM on November 20, 2013 [1 favorite]

That must be down near where Ewell's old barn used to be.
posted by maryr at 9:46 AM on November 20, 2013

Olive this here.
posted by The corpse in the library at 10:06 AM on November 20, 2013

Interestingly enough the first use of the word fork on MetaFilter is part of metafilterhistory. Sorry, but I have to now stop looking because I have spent way too much time looking for your picture and the comment about it.
I do now wonder what "Da Ba Dee, Da Ba Die" is though.
posted by unliteral at 4:05 PM on November 20, 2013

Wondering no longer - I'm Blue, Eiffel 65.
posted by unliteral at 5:44 PM on November 20, 2013