Useful Utensils?

With intensified airport scrutiny for the smallest metal objects that might be used as weapons, I recently was startled by the cellophane-wrapped utensils that came with the meals on two United flights I took.

They included a tiny plastic knife that bent double when used to cut nearly anything and a full-size metal fork that I think could be as deadly as the box cutters the terrorists allegedly used.

When I mentioned this to the flight attendant, she nodded, shrugged and said she had thought the same thing.

CHARLES F. QUEENAN

Encino