The knock came on the door and Dad got up to answer. The man introduced himself and completely caught Dad by surprise when he said he was selling silver dinner utensils today! This was so unexpected and now Dad couldn’t use his excuse that we weren’t educated. He couldn’t think of what to say so he invited the man in to show us what he had. A nice pale wooden chest in a very modern fifties style that would now be considered retro was brought out. When opened it revealed red velvet lining and the shiny silverware set for eight. There were knives, dinner forks, dessert forks, soup spoons, coffee spoons, dessert spoons, tiny delicate little tea spoons, even a sugar spoon and butter knife. As an added bonus, there were two large serving spoons which would be included if purchased that day. A fine looking set made by W.M. Rogers & Son in a Victorian Rose pattern. All the utensils my parents had ever owned were mismatched knives, forks, large spoons and tea spoons. Only the set of five teaspoons with a Dionne quintuplet and the name of each little girl on it matched. This silverware set was pure luxury.
Without too much insistence on the part of the salesman, Dad ended up buying the set while Mom and I sat quietly as agreed, watching the deal take place. I could see a little smile forming Mom’s lips that she was trying so hard to hide. After the salesman left and we were now proud owners of a matching set of silverware, we all had a good laugh. We teased Dad about this for many years!
We finally had matching utensils for company and relatives who came for a meal. While the dishes we owned were mismatched including old plates and bowls Dad had prior to marriage, premiums that came from oatmeal or soap boxes, and sturdy mugs and cups from the camp, at least all the silverware matched. It’s unfortunate a fine china salesman didn’t come by soon after because we really could have set a nice table for company. My parents never saw the need to go out and buy a full set of dishes but when I started working, I decided to order a nice little set of fancy dishes from the catalog for them. They used them only rarely and didn’t really like the shape of the cups because the tea cooled down too quickly in them. They also didn’t like the flimsy delicate feel of the plates and continued using their good old mismatched dishes. But the silverware they used at the slightest excuse. To this day, I use it when I entertain my family or friends and each time, I think of that afternoon sitting on the veranda with my parents and especially of my Dad who was not going to buy anything from the door-to-door salesman.
