Found reading this very interesting-
I have heard American children call this a "boat spoon". It does look a little like a boat. The Chinese soup spoon is more of a
ladle than a spoon. It has a flat bottom and steeply angled walls, and it holds a good mouthful of soup. It holds quite a bit more than your average Western
soup spoon. In a way, it's a sort of one-sip soup bowl that you can pick up and hold to your lips.
More importantly, it holds one
xiao3-long2-bao1 (also known as a "soupy bun"), and catches all the juice that bursts forth when you take your first bite.
It's also useful for rescuing sunken treasures from the
sargasso sea of your Cantonese
wonton soup or Vietnamese
pho. It is true that the angles between the flat bottom and the sides make it hard to lick clean in one sweep, but that means you get to lick several times and have more fun.
If the waiter tells you they don't have Chinese spoons, he evidently doesn't want your business. Put your money on the table, get up, and leave without further words. There is no point in making a scene, really. Life is too short for arguing about things that are obvious to everyone, and the need for a Chinese spoon is assuredly one of those.
Most Chinese spoons that I have seen are
ceramic or sturdy plastic, suitable for lifting the heaviest objects you are likely to encounter in your soup. You can also find them in
stainless steel,
styrofoam, flimsy plastic (o beware of accidents!), and no doubt many other substances.
http://everything2.com/title/Chinese+spoon
Me too!
I am thrilled that you are back!