made in china

Making tea, standing at the counter, waiting for the kettle to boil, I looked at the magnetic knife rack. One of the knives is stainless steel. Two are stainless china. They are steak knives and good for cutting tomatoes, but not much else. My favourite knife is the one I found stashed on my garden wall one morning. It’s a fishing knife with a wooden handle, brass rivets and a big blade. It has a hole in the handle so that you can tie it to your belt when you’re out at sea. I sharpen it often and it slides sweetly through onions without a pause. Once when i was sharpening it I missed my stroke. It sliced through a centimetre of thumb and thumbnail, staight down the middle, a beautiful, clean cut that healed without a trace.