question: Why are our reflections normal when we look at the backside of a spoon, and why are they flipped when looking at the front (curved inward) side?
comment: It has to do with the curvature of the spoon. Looking at the convex (inside) side of the spoon, light rays drawn towards the upper edge of the curve are reflected in such a way that they end up pointing towards the bottom of our face, and vice-versa.
passages: Section::::Chapter 3.
  
  "All in the family: The Genealogy of elements"
   Section::::Chapter 18.
  
  "Tools of ridiculous precision"
   BULLET::::2. Salad serving style: one spoon between little, ring, and long finger; the other spoon between ring, thumb, and index finger in such a way that they can be rotated with ring finger as the common axis. They can be hit to each other at the convex sides by gathering the fingers (mostly middle and thumb).
   Section::::Chapter 16.
  
  "Chemistry way, way below zero"
   Section::::Chapter 1.
  
  "Geography of elements":
   Section::::Chapter 19.
  
  "Above (and beyond) the periodic table"
   BULLET::::3. The two spoons are held back to back on either side of the right hands index finger, the tips of the spoon handles are held lightly with the little and ring fingers the spoons are then hit down to the leg, up to the inside of the left hand, left thumb and index finger hold lightly and let both handles slip through to get several spoon sounds in one up down movement, spoon tips are allowed to skip over several left hand fingers or folds of the left sleeve to get a repetitive roll. This is the most popular method when sitting.
   BULLET::::3. Castanets style, two in each hand one spoon held concave-side against the palm held down by the thumb, one between ring and middle fingers with finger tips in the concave side balancing the handle. They can be hit to each other at the convex sides by gripping with the middle and ring fingers.
   Other methods use a metal spoon that has been prepared so that a simple flick will cause it to bend or break. This can be done, for instance, by repeatedly bending the spoon at the desired spot, until the metal cracks and weakens. If the spoon breaks, the magician holds together the two halves of the spoon as if it were unbroken, then slowly relaxes the grip, making the spoon appear to bend before splitting in two.
   Causing spoons, keys, and other items to appear to bend without any physical force is a common stage magic trick that has many variants. Simply holding a spoon by its neck and rapidly tilting it back and forth can create the illusion that the spoon is bending, due to the way that the human eye perceives the rocking motion.
   Some novelty or magic shops sell self-bending spoons (utilizing the physical properties of a nickel titanium alloy) which can be used by amateur and stage magicians to demonstrate "psychic" powers or as a practical joke. Such "self-bending" spoons will bend themselves when used to stir tea, coffee, or any other warm liquid, or even when warmed by body heat.
  
  Section::::Psychology.
   In an experimental study (Wiseman and Greening, 2005) two groups of participants were shown a videotape in which a fake psychic placed a bent key on a table. Participants in the first group heard the fake psychic suggest that the key was continuing to bend when it had remained stationary, while those in the second group did not. The results revealed that participants from the first group reported significantly more movement of the key than the second group.
   For machine-made spoons, the basic shape is cut out from a sheet of sterling silver, nickel silver alloy or stainless steel. The bowl is cross rolled between two pressurized rollers to produce a thinner section. The handle section is also rolled to produce the width needed for the top end. The blank is then cropped to the required shape, and two dies are used to apply the pattern to the blank. The flash is then removed using a linisher, and the bowl is formed between two dies and bent.
   The sets of Apostle Spoons, popular as christening presents in Tudor times, the handles of which terminate in heads or busts of the apostles, are a special form to which antiquarian interest attaches. The earlier English spoon-handles terminate in an acorn, plain knob or a diamond; at the end of the 16th century, the baluster and seal ending becomes common, the bowl being fig-shaped. During The Restoration, the handle becomes broad and flat, the bowl is broad and oval and the termination is cut into the shape known as the hind's foot.
   Section::::Chapter 11.
  
  "How elements deceive"
   It is then heated until red hot and held in tongs and using the hammer and anvil, beaten into shape. The tip of the bar is pointed to form the tip of the bowl, then hammered to form the bowl. If a heel is to be added, a section down the centre is left thicker. The edges of the bowl and the tip of the spoon are left thicker as this is where most of the thickness is needed. The handle is then started and hammered out to length going from thick at the neck and gradually tapering down in thickness giving a balanced feel. During this process, the piece becomes very hard and has to be annealed several times, then worked again until the final shape is achieved.
   Section::::Chapter 13.
  
  "Elements as money"
   BULLET::::2. The handle of one spoon is held by the ring finger, thumb, and pointing finger, the handle of the other spoon is placed behind the ring finger, but on the inside of the little finger and the long finger in a back to back position with the first spoon. The ring finger works like a hinge and helps to hold both spoons. clasping the fingers lightly causes the spoons to hit each other. This holding style is essentially the same as holding salad spoons for single hand serving; except for this purpose the spoons should not be back to back.
   Section::::Chapter 7.
  
  "Competitive elements: Extending the table, expanding the cold war"
   The findings were replicated in another study. The experiments had demonstrated that "testimony for PKMB after effects can be created by verbal suggestion, and therefore the testimony from individuals who have observed allegedly genuine demonstrations of such effects should not be seen as strong evidence in support of the paranormal".
  
  Section::::Spoon bending and the paranormal.
  
  Due partly to the publicity surrounding Uri Geller in the 1970s, bent spoons have become a common visual symbol of the paranormal. It is shown, for example, in "The Matrix", when a young boy bends a spoon to demonstrate the unreality of a computer simulation.
   The term is based on the English idiom "born with a silver spoon in one's mouth". In the past, European nobility often used silver dishes, and children were fed by nannies using silver spoons, which indicated the wealth of the family. In South Korea, this idea was taken further to establish several categories to classify individuals based on their family's wealth.
  
  Section::::Spoon classes.
  
  The spoon classes have been identified as follows:
  
  BULLET::::- The gold spoon – within top one per cent of population, with more than $200K annual salary and more than $2 million in assets.
   In the first quarter of the 18th century, the bowl becomes narrow and elliptical, with a tongue or rat's tail down the back, and the handle is turned up at the end.
  
  The modern form, with the tip of the bowl narrower than the base and the rounded end of the handle turned down, came into use about 1760.
  
  Section::::Types and uses.
   In the sex position, the receiving partner would be in the inner spoon position and the penetrator is in the outer spoon in preparation for rear-entry penetration. For penetration, the partners may separate their upper bodies, with just the pelvises connecting, and their legs can also rest on top of each other. The receiving partner may lift the upper knee to allow for easier penetration.
   Section::::Chapter 12.
  
  "Political elements"
   Section::::Chapter 17.
  
  "The science of bubbles"
  