Stir sticks and coffee stirrers are inadequate utensils. Each time I grab a cup of Joe from my local coffee shop, I always ask myself the same question: Why am I not allowed to pour sugar into my coffee and stir it with a regular spoon? Ok, sure, spoons cost more. I get it. But I’m 100 percent willing to use a pre-used spoon just so I can adequately mix my morning beverage. What coffee shops don’t realize is that people like me take 10 sticks (which still doesn’t work) thus refuting the it-costs-more-theory. Starbucks must have been clued into this little problem and created a wooden stir stick that is slightly thicker and wider. While I commend their efforts, I’m still unsatisfied. It’s the scoop that makes the spoon so user-friendly. You can work with liquids or solids. The spoon doesn’t discriminate. I looked up the phrase “stir stick” on the Web and I found the following stir stick distributors:

Stir Sticks & Picks, International

Coffee Wholesalers USA

I suppose it’s a good thing both of these companies deal in other avenues. Picks are going places. Sticks—not so much. If I had my way, stir sticks would be abolished from all coffee shops. Long live the spoon.

Stir sticks are number two on my list “Things the world should be rid of.” Number one is Cilantro.