I Don’t Suffer From A Knife Addiction

I love good cooking knives. Some say I suffer from a knife addiction, but I’m not so sure about it. Yes, I have strong desires for more knives, different knives, all in a quest to experience what else the artisans and craftsmen of steel have created to make cooking more enjoyable, more elegant, and flat-out better. I don’t suffer from it, though. Not at all. I do, however, suffer from my inability to share this passion with those around me.

Yes, it hurts when those you care about think you’re stark raving mad for thinking about getting a $280 slicer (300mm sujihiki, actually) because it’s being discontinued and won’t be made any more. It is disconcerting when I lose to an eBay sniper my $400 bid for a 40-year-old set of handmade honyaki knives (a 300mm yanagi and 165mm deba made by Keijiri Doi) worth $1000. It stings even more when, out of a desire to share the joy of cutting and cooking, one ends up rebuked strongly for planning to buy knives for the other person.

Few people would understand why an entire online community of knife knuts is excited about a $375 knife that is being heralded as “the best sub-$1000 gyuto you can get”. Few people would understand why I have paid several hundred dollars for handmade chinese cleavers (chuka bocho from Japanese knife maker Mr. Shosui Takeda actually) when you can get Chinatown specials for about $20 or less.

Yet, occasionally the mainstream world, such as the Globe & Mail newspaper, peers into this world of raving fans enamored with high-performance steel.

“I draw the blade effortlessly through a tomato, creating a perfect slice, then another. The knife is light, the stroke is smooth and silky – I’m hooked.”

“Knife enthusiasts are drawn to the pure precision that comes with sharper Japanese blades.”

“These knives are nice, but actually learning how they should be used, perfecting the Japanese technique and hand control of these knives, is what’s amazing.”

I must admit that I continue to strive to improve my knife skills. I continue to strive to perfect my technique. I continue to strive to live up to the level of artistry and performance that my knives embody.

There is an incredible thrill from using a knife that cuts effortlessly as you dice an onion without your eyes tearing up. There is physical joy from chopping a pile of vegetables quickly into a pile of perfectly-formed pieces ready for the heat of the stove or oven. There is sublime appreciation for visual and gustatory perfection when one slices fish into perfectly-textured sashimi, or a quickly-seared steak into paper-thin slices of beef sashimi.

I can’t share these joys or thrills with anyone I know in person. I do not suffer from a knife addiction. I suffer from being unable to share my joy and excitement.

I suppose that is simply the way things are for knife knuts, knife knerds, and those hooked on anything not mainstream.

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categories News & Commentary | 2010/07/13

3 Comments to “I Don’t Suffer From A Knife Addiction”

  1. By Leah Xing, 2010/07/14 @ 6:15 pm

    Hey Len, great stuffs you have there on knives! I once sold Cutco Cutlery before and it’s tough because most people I come in contact are Chinese and only need one or 2 knives. hehe So any thoughts on Cutco Cutlery? So your serval hundred knife, is it really that awesome and efficient to use?

  2. By Leonard Chu, 2010/07/15 @ 8:31 am

    Heya Leah! I had a guy come in to demo Cutco knives for me back when I was about to embark on my japanese knife purchasing streak. At the time I was still using my old Henckels – granted, it was a hand-sharpened Henckels on my old sharpening equipment. I’m not so keen on Cutco knives since they’re made from very run-of-the-mill 440 steel and actually cut with small serrations rather than an actual sharp edge.

    Serrated edges will cut through practically anything because they saw through the material, but the texture will rough. I’d like to replace my current serrated steak knives for that very reason.

    If someone’s not going to take care of their knives – throw it in the dishwasher, then throw it into a drawer with other stuff, never think about sharpening it or honing it – then I think they’re fair enough to use. Well, as long as they like the ergo-handles ;)

    For someone keen on their knives, Cutcos would not be the right choice. However, they do have their place in the market.

    2 knives is actually enough for most people – a good chef’s knife and a good paring knife. Everything else would be something specialized to do a specific job – but if good enough is good enough (and many people, it is) then those 2 knives are sufficient.

  3. By Lizzy, 2010/07/16 @ 2:45 pm

    …..! -_-#b….