In fact, the word "fork" is derived from the Latin furca, which means pitchfork. The fork was once considered immoral, unhygienic and a tool of the devil. It was so essential to everyday life that the hearth fire was rarely allowed to die out. Families throughout Europe would gather around the fireplace to cook and eat, tell stories and sleep. All medieval homes, whether a hut or manor, were built around a simple open hearth-very much like building a campfire in the center of a home (talk about smoke inhalation!). While contemporary fireplaces are used mostly as a design focal point, for thousands of years the fireplace was a necessary source of both heat and light.
In some homes, fireplaces remained lit for generations. In The Elements of a Home: Curious Histories Behind Everyday Household Objects, from Pillows to Forks, I’ve uncovered the stories behind the objects that fill our homes and our lives. Perhaps, like me, you’ll find yourself grateful for our ancestors who suffered with stone or wooden headrests, stiff-backed chairs and cold nights before feather-stuffed pillows and fluffy duvets were part of everyday life (and appreciative of those who imagined that things could be better). Our homes are castles beyond what they could have ever imagined. Those things that were once only the purview of royalty-chandeliers, comfortable seating, bed pillows-have become such a part of our everyday lives that we forget that all but the basic necessities for survival were once out of reach for all but the upper echelon of society. Our temperature-controlled homes filled with comfortable furniture and lights that turn on at the flick of a switch are luxuries unfathomable to the kings and queens of the past. However, it might surprise us to know that, for our ancestors, many of the objects we take for granted, like napkins, forks and mattresses, were also once marvels of comfort and technology-available to only the few.
When we think of the technology that makes our homebound life bearable, we call to mind those electronic devices that allow us to remain connected to the outside world.
For many of us, our daily lives now upended by quarantine, our homes have suddenly become our world. Throughout the world, from the humblest abode to the most lavish mansion, our homes have always been a respite from the world.
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