Sqwertz wrote:
>
> On Fri, 30 May 2014 14:39:53 -0800, Mark Thorson wrote:
>
> > I have some thoughts, but I don't want
> > to influence your suggestions prematurely.
> >
> > http://www.ebay.com/itm/351080423251
>
> I've seen them being used at crab and crawfish boils. With a handle,
> of course.

That must be it. I was thinking it could be
used to fish something out of water or oil.
Like maybe potatoes in a trough of water to
wash the dirt off, but it's too small to be
useful in an agricultural setting, even in
the old days before machines started doing
it all.

The parallel wires to catch the desired object
suggested to me that it was for picking up
something roughly spherical. Anything flat
or long might get stuck between the wires.

I did consider fishing doughnuts out of a
pot of hot oil.

But crayfish or crabs would explain the
parallel wires. If it were a grid pattern,
there would be a greater chance a claw or leg
could get caught in a square of the grid.
By using only parallel wires, the chance of
getting caught is minimized.