As a Chinese American, I grew up using ceramic spoons at meals.
One of my earliest memories of feeling safe and content involved this utensil: My amah (what I called my nanny) would sit on the steps in front of her house holding my dinner as I played in the dirt, meandering back to her only when I was ready for the next spoonful.
I’ve been eyeing Brooklyn ceramicist Shino Takeda’s ceramic spoons (“hand-built with electric mid-temperature firing,” she tells me) for years now.
I found quite a few handmade Ceramic Spoons on Etsy.
Handmade by Chicago ceramicist Melissa J. Chin, these Salt Spoons are made from white stoneware clay and finished with a glossy white glaze; $22 at Grey Remedy.
An “after-hours ceramist & potter living in Warsaw” is how Joanna Cisek describes herself on her Instagram account.
Elizabeth Benotti’s petite Dipped Spoons are made in Maine.
Eeli Art Studio’s Clay Spoons are described as “wabi-sabi country house cottage” style—and that pretty much sums them up; $12 on Etsy.
Sleek and modern, the Casa Cubista Matte Tableware Spoon is handmade and hand-painted in Portugal; $12 at Atacama Home.
Kana Ceramics’ Ceramic Spoons Ink/White are purposely imperfect: “small imperfections such as fingerprints, superficial cracks and indentations are part of the nature of the technique.” They are available in multiple sizes, including serving spoon size (at right); from $15.