Fancy flatware for flighty friend?

November 2, 2007 12:23 PM

Where can I find a fancy travel flatware set as a 60th birthday present for my quirky, foodie colleague? He currently brings his own sterling in lieu of the plastic utensils at the local taco joint. I was inspired by this exhibit, which displayed travel fork/knife/spoon sets, which were apparently very fashionable hundreds of years ago, when my coworker really should have been born. I'm looking for a travel set to replace his current flatware, which he just rolls up and lugs around, either new or vintage, that's around $100. Something nicer than a typical camping set. Where should I look?
posted by ericbop to shopping (9 answers total)

I like helping out anachronistic friends.

This I love because it matches, in my head, your description of your duffy friend. Who sounds great, and is lucky to be so appreciated.
posted by rumposinc at 12:37 PM on November 2, 2007

Perhaps not quite as fancy, there is this maple utensil set and this titanium set both for camping.

MEC also has a titanium spork, which I find kind off funny because it's such a bizarre combination of cheap and super-expensive.
posted by GuyZero at 12:48 PM on November 2, 2007

The German army-issue knife-fork-spoon-opener kit isn't fancy, but it's really well designed. (That's the German Amazon listing, but a few US places and lots of UK surplus shops sell them.)
posted by holgate at 12:51 PM on November 2, 2007

Why not go to an antique shop and put together your own travel set? Get a fancy matching knife, fork and spoon and find and equally antique box (like the one that displays the one in rumposinc's post) to put them in?
posted by Sassyfras at 12:52 PM on November 2, 2007

** an equally antique box . . .
posted by Sassyfras at 12:53 PM on November 2, 2007

This titanium set also looks fairly nice. Though definitely modern and not antique at all.
posted by GuyZero at 1:15 PM on November 2, 2007

Here's a contemporary, designerly travel set I like -- stainless steel utensils plus aqua melamine plate, bowl, and cup. They'd have to cost three times as much to qualify... but I thought I'd toss them in here anyway, since I think they're a nice looking gift (from a site that has a lot of other nice looking gifts, incidentally).
posted by daisyace at 5:04 PM on November 2, 2007 [1 favorite]

Some friends got my husband and I a fancy little box set of Splayds (i.e. "sporks") for a wedding gift. They're awesome! The website says they're available in the US now.
posted by web-goddess at 6:31 PM on November 2, 2007

Thanks for the great suggestions so far! I guess I should make a disclaimer that I certainly don't mind recommendations that cost well under $100 - that price was just a rough limit to what I can spend. So feel free to link to bargains as well as high-end stuff.
posted by ericbop at 6:39 PM on November 2, 2007