The Bear Season 3: What does ‘keep the spoon’ mean?

The Bear is open for business once more, and Season 3 has a reference to spoons that got us pondering. So, here’s what the relevance of that particular comment is within the wider world of the show.

It’s been quite the month for television, and the super sweet dessert has been served with the arrival of The Bear Season 3. All ten episodes are here in one serving, too, which is even better!

When you watch The Bear, there are all kinds of culinary phrases uttered by the members of The Bear cast. We’re not expected to know what it all means, but we can try.

In the first episode of the new season, Carmy is told to “keep the spoon” by Chef Terry. So, what’s the big deal with spoons in this show?

What does keep the spoon mean?

Chef Terry (The Bear guest star Olivia Colman) tells Carmy to keep the spoon after he creates a sauce. This is likely because all chefs are encouraged to keep a container full of fresh spoons by their workstations.

In the real world, some chefs will reuse the same tasting spoon again and again. Clearly, Terry encourages this habit at her restaurant, as she wants her chefs to always taste what they are cooking.

Some chefs in other restaurants go the other way, however, and demand new spoons are used every time.

The importance of spoons in The Bear

Spoons are mentioned a lot in The Bear, naturally, but the key topic of discussion is the fact that they always go missing.

FX/Hulu

In Season 3 Episode 2, Carmy specifically references this issue when talking to Sugar. When running through his list of non-negotiables, Carmy says he is “sick of running out of f**king teaspoons.”

In Season 2, Richie is polishing forks and Garret teases he may get to move onto spoons one day. Similarly, Sugar and Carmy have a big conversation about forks, and Sugar jokes she “can’t wait to talk about spoons.”

Obviously, for a TV show about a restaurant, all kinds of cutlery is going to be mentioned regularly. Spoons, however, appear to be the most important of them all.

Carmy, Syd, and Marcus constantly have a spoon on hand to taste their food and to stir or serve ingredients. It’s likely this could all stem from Carmy realizing how important they were to Chef Terry and bringing this into his new restaurant.

Right, that’s enough about spoons for now. For more, check out our guide on The Bear Season 2 soundtrack, The Bear Season 3 soundtrack, and Carmy’s non-negotiables. Or, check out our The Bear Season 3 review.