The New & Improved Spork

Just when you thought a spork couldn’t get any sporkier, designer Masami Takahashi of Japan’s Sugakiya ramen noodle restaurant goes and blows the competition out of the water. You know, the spork competition. Oh come on, the spork competition? You know that’s a thing!

This spoon/fork combo was created to help you get noodles and soup into your mouth without constantly switching utensils. Well well well, this is prettyyy clever. Almost as clever as my solution to the same problem: I just puree the food and suck it through a straw. You know, because f*** chewing! I don’t have the time or energy for all that noise.

The Ramen Spork Is More Than an Ordinary Spoon-Fork Combo

Turns out this magical noodle-eating contraption actually has some history behind it. Japanese ramen chain Sugakiya introduced its original ramen fork back in 1978 as a way to reduce the use of disposable chopsticks. Because apparently somebody finally looked at the enormous pile of used chopsticks and thought, “Hey, maybe there’s a better way to slurp noodles.”

In 2007, Sugakiya teamed up with Japanese tableware manufacturer Noritake and designer Masami Takahashi to give the utensil a serious makeover. The result was a stainless steel spoon with four long fork tines extending from the front. The idea? Scoop up your soup while grabbing your noodles with the same utensil. TWO JOBS! ONE SPORK!

The redesigned ramen fork improved on the original with longer tines, a deeper spoon bowl, and a straight handle. The fork also moved from an off-center position to the middle, making it easier for both right-handed and left-handed noodle enthusiasts to use. Finally, equality for everybody who wants to shove ramen into their face!

A Spork Good Enough for the Museum of Modern Art

And this isn’t just some ridiculous restaurant gimmick, either. The redesigned utensil eventually found its way into the Museum of Modern Art’s Design Store, where it’s known as the Ramen Spork. It’s made of stainless steel, is dishwasher-safe, and measures about 7.75 inches long.

That’s right. A spork with museum credentials. Meanwhile, the only thing I’ve ever designed is a complicated system for getting pizza into my mouth without having to get off the couch. Still waiting for MoMA to call me back on that one.

But hey, if this thing means fewer utensils, less disposable waste, and more noodles in my mouth, I’m all for it. Now somebody invent a spork that feeds me automatically. Better yet, make it bring the ramen to my couch. THAT’S the future of dining, people!