Meet Mack-Daddy, The Knife

So we're in Naperville Illinois a few weeks back visiting my sister during a heat wave and 90+ percent humidity (lovely) when my brother-in-law, Andy (co-owner with sis of The Hammer Source, serving all your hammer needs), says, "Hey, have you met Bob?".   Looking around, I only see him, with his arms crossed across his chest, holding a knife in one hand, a beautiful knife, a knife that glimmered with the craftsmanship that was put into it's making. 

Now let me regress a little, a while back I posted about listening to an episode of The Splendid Table, and an interview with Master Bladesmith Bob Kramer who was formerly a chef, but fascinated with creating the perfect chefs knives.  Father's Day was coming up, so I went on his website to see about ordering one of his creations, only to find out his custom knives cost THOUSANDS, gad, and are so popular that he's not even taking orders right now.  So, no go for a papa present.

So (flash forward) here in Andy's hands was a Kramer knife, not one that was handmade by Bob Kramer, but handmade by his direction by artisans at SHUN Cutlery in Japan and sold at Sur la Table in the USA.   Unfortunately, or fortunately, later that day we had lunch downtown Naperville at Hugo's Frog Bar & Fish House which happened to be right next to Sur la Table.   So we decided to take a peek, and it must have been fate, because they were On Sale - I had the credit card out before Jim could pick out his knife.  But not cheap - his 10" Chefs knife was "marked down" to $379.95, or just over $400 with tax.

But it's been one of the best gifts I've ever given him.  "Look honey, see how it cuts," as he touches the knife to a watermelon and it splits in half, well maybe thats an exaggeration, but it is one hell of a killer knife. 

"Denn die einen sind im Dunkeln
Und die andern sind im Licht

Und man siehet die im Lichte

Die im Dunkeln sieht man nicht"