SC - Visit to Boston

[Elaine Koogler]

My apologies for quoting myself, but...

UlfR wrote:
> 
> On Fri, 2 Feb 2001, Philip & Susan Troy wrote:
> 
> > WHOAAAA, big-time pet peeve hot-button! You know how some men are about
> > cars? Guns? Alcohol tolerance? Sexual prowess and chili pepper tolerance?
> 
> Ahh yes, we do have a fetish in common. Knives are supposed to be sharp,
> damn it.

Hammers are supposed to be able to apply great force over a very small
area. A dull knife is like a hammer with no head. A tool that simply
doesn't do the job.
 
> > How often do you hear a SCAdian say, "Man, my knife sure is dull..."?
> 
> Most can't be bothered do do anything about it, one way or another.

Probably right. I think people acknowledge the fact that knives are
supposed to be sharp, so much so, in fact, in our artificially
constructed society, which, in theory, has the respect of the truly
dependent on such low technology, that there's an implicit scorn for
dull knives that most modern people reserve for four-cylinder autos with
automatic transmissions, people who can't hold their liquor, and people
who shoot flames from every orifice after a small taste of Bottled Hell
Hot Sauce (which, for those who have not experienced it, is about as hot
as most bechamel sauces of my acquaintance). Similarly, in the current
middle ages, a dull knife makes you somehow an ineffective person, but
not sufficiently so to make a lot of people actually do anything about
it. Or perhaps simply take the time to learn. The common solution to
this would appear to adopt a posture of brash boastfulness, at least
until you have to slice an onion ;  ), at which point you claim
something is wrong with these onions, they just won't slice.
 
> > increasingly fine Arkansas whetstones, then switched to leather strops
> > rubbed with jeweller's rouge, and then a fine going-over with a
> 
> These days I tend to use leather glued to a board, with polishing paste
> rubbed into it; just buy whatever the auto part store suggest for
> getting your chrome nice again. Dirt cheap, and good.

Yep. I supposedly have a two-sided barber's strop someplace, which
nowadays I don't use for cooking knives. Lately I use a cheap whetstone
for repairs and realignment, a diamond-dust-covered steel for cleaning
up (I used to have a small folding version of this, like one of those
butterfly knives, but after breaking the second one I upgraded to a
larger version), and an ordinary honing steel for finishing. Somewhat
more expensive, but highly effective, portable, long-lasting, and
perhaps more likely to inspire confidence in professional settings.
 
> > And the *&^$% thing still won't slice an onion.
> 
> How can one fail in that? I know people do, but I can't fathom it. I
> don't know how many times I've cooked in a friends house, and used my
> swiss army knife since it, as opposed to the knives in the kitchen, is
> sharp.

Well, being unable to slice an onion was basically a figure of speech,
but it's as good as many another illustration. A dull knife makes it
necessary to use extreme force to crush and tear through the food,
rather than actually slicing it, and it's very hard to tell where the
blade will end up when you have to lean down on it. It's an excellent
way to lose a fingertip. In fact, if anybody doubts this they can simply
look at my hands. Luckily I've never lost actual joints, but not for
lack of trying, and I'm more careful than most people about the
sharpness of my knives.
 
Adamantius
- -- 
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com