Maddy McGlone

Maddy McGlone is a sophomore (Class of 2023) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is originally from Madison, WI. She is majoring in History and Environmental Studies with a certificate in Folklore.

 

By This Author:

A master boiler holds a two-sided spork--a ladle lashed to the handle end of a long carving fork.

OBJECT HISTORY: Two-sided Spork

The Door County fish boil is a culinary tradition local to the peninsula that spawned the invention of the two-sided spork. This unique cooking utensil made its first appearance at the White Gull Inn in the 1960s.

A man in a large stone-lined ring walks around a large open fire. The accoutrement of a fishboil, a boil pot, and strainer basket, plastic buckets, and a two-sided spork are at hand. A crowd of people seated at tables watch on.

The Fish Boil Tradition

Familiar to many Wisconsinites, the Door County fish boil is more than just a cookout, it is a social experience. Long-time Door County visitors know this story well. The first fish boils began as a way to feed the large numbers of fishermen and lumberjacks that worked on the peninsula.