While the concept, and especially the name, seems silly (and can provide some humorous comments from camp mates), I really like my GSI Kung Foon (there are stainless & titanium versions, I have the former).



Used alone, the metal "foon" does a really good job. It is nice & deep and makes a good soup spoon and the tines are sharp / long enough to eat a full sized meal salad without causing any frustration (I've been using it at Cub camps to try out how it does on a variety of foods, not just my normal backpacking fare). The added benefit of the chop sticks is primarily that when put together it provides a great way to eat directly out of a Mountain House meal bag.



That said, it also gives me something to stir with in a non-stick pot (but I don't typically "cook" when backpacking).

Utensil choice aside, one thing I've learned to do is to keep one in my food bag that rides at the top of my pack when backpacking. I've run into situations where I didn't and was left with the choice of either digging through / unpacking the pack to get the utensil out of my cooking kit to eat my cold meal or try to improvise and/or use my hands.