Topical Guide 191
Mark Dorset
Clams as Objets d’Art
Edgar Peters removed his glasses and slipped them into his jacket pocket. He rubbed the spatulate indentations on either side of his nose. “I could use a break,” he said with a weary sigh. “These damned sketches are giving me a headache.” With a sweep of his hand he indicated the plans that covered his desk.
“Aren’t they any good?” asked Larry.
“On the contrary,” said Mr. Peters. “They’re more than good. They’re brilliant, innovative, ambitious.” He let out another weary sigh. “That’s the problem. … Here, look at this one,” he said.
He handed the clam to Larry, who examined it closely, racking his brain for something to say about it.
Edgar Peters waited for a bit, expecting that his son would make a comment or ask a penetrating question. When the silence had grown embarrassing, Mr. Peters cleared his throat and spoke in Larry’s stead.
“First,” he said, “will anyone buy a glass clam? I doubt that clams have widespread appeal. …”Roger Drake, The Shapely Brunette
There are many glass bivalve objets d’art available on the Web, but nearly all of them are scallops, not clams, even when they are listed as clams and identified as clams in their product descriptions. For example:
However, I did find a glass clam doing duty as a hip flask (along with a glass scallop similarly employed):
The evening’s short subject: Jules Feiffer’s Munro:
[more to come on Wednesday, February 9, 2022]
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