Product Review: Trongs

Trongs: Finger-Food Utensil

"Get A Grip On Finger-Food"

1-866-99-TRONG

http://www.trongs.com/

While eating at The Shack, I spoke with a woman who worked for a local cable company and she started telling me about her about her food website (which is still not live) and she introduced me to a product called Trongs. She met the guys who invented them and gave me a pair to try out and review. I was intrigued, but a bit skeptical. These little plastic fingers look like fake vampire teeth that tweens wear when they see a crappy vampire movie. Skeptical or not, I had to give them a try.

They are made to keep you fingers clean while eating wings (or ribs), but isn't part of the fun getting dirty? Licking your fingers clean? Using a wet-nap? The Trongs Website addresses this by saying, "There will always be people who will eat wings using their fingers, just as there are people who have yet to appreciate the benefits of e-mail and cell phones. The reality is that getting your fingers dirty is annoying and is probably the main factor in the thought process that leads to the decision to not go out for wings. Eat with Trongs and enjoy wings wherever and whenever." All I can say is we'll see.

Trongs in use, my fingers are clean.

Pros:

1- They do keep your hands clean as you eat the wings.

2- They are made well, so you can really get a good grip on the sauced up, slippery wing.

3- I can answer my phone, shake hands or grab a drink without transferring wings sauce onto any of the aforementioned items.

Jody's "there's no way in hell I'm using

these" face.

Cons:

1- You look like a TOOL with them on your hands. Big orange fingers? What am I, a Muppet? As Jody and Jeremy eloquently pointed out, I looked like a "nerd" using them.

2- I like getting my fingers dirty and, Trongs inventors, I have been using a cell phone and e-mail for a very long time. You don't order wings when entertaining clients or on a blind date, but other than that, fingers can get dirty eating.

3- Now that you are finished eating, the Trongs are DIRTY. What am I supposed to do, head into the bathroom and clean them off? I would be better off washing my hands! I mean, I don't bring my own fork/knife/spoon to a restaurant, why would I bring these?

4- Let the phone ring, just say hi and lick your fingers before you grab your drink. Your hands do not need to be spotless for any of these things and awhile back, someone invented napkins for this purpose. When did napkins become obsolete?

Summary-

Trongs are made to minimize the mess of eating hot wings, ribs and other finger food while dining out. And they succeed at doing do so. But, just because something works does not make it a good idea. Looking like a complete tool, using a wet-nap and having to cart home dirty utensils completely outweighs clean hands and not having to lick my fingers and use a napkin before I grab my cell phone. This is just another invention out there that may be seen on TV late at night for insomniacs to purchase. I just don't see people stopping before wing night to reach into their utensil drawer to grab their Trongs.

The website goes on to say that these can be used in food prep, like breading chicken cutlets, this I can see a lot more. With food born illnesses out there, having a sanitary way to work with meats that also gives you the use of your fingers is a good idea. Latex gloves do the same thing, but most people don't have boxes of latex gloves in their homes. So if you get a free pair, use them when making chicken, if not, a fork or some tongs (no "r") will do just fine.

If you are into odd little gadgets, then enjoy. If you own a bar and want to have these as an extra utensil for patrons, that may be a good idea too, but I sure as hell won't use them. As far as The Wingmen are concerned, this product is: Grounded.