Hahaha yeah my snake knows what the red tongs mean. He'll even sit in the corner closest to where I always put the food to thaw waiting for the delicious morsels.
Prior to ever having a snake, I had no idea how smart they can be in terms of understanding signals and cues from human interaction. I'd say the best way to take care of a snake, is to learn how to behave around it. Once you understand what they want, they can begin to understand what you want.