"You know who's really hard on their knives? Vegans."Good Quote: On Sharp Knives and Vegans
"You know who's really hard on their knives? Vegans."I have a real treasure in my neighborhood. Louise Radanovich is an expert knife sharpener, a master of her craft. She goes from home to home in an amazing little workshop of a trailer, fitted out with all the heavy equipment needed to do a really great job on just about any kitchen knife — not to mention scissors, shears, axes, reel lawnmowers, and all sorts of other sharp implements. An hour with Louise, and even the rustiest old piece of forgotten equipment will be restored to a gleaming state. I love watching her work, too; she keeps a damp folded paper towel in front of her as she sharpens, and tests the knives on it. When they flow through it like butter they're finished.
Yes, I could learn how to sharpen my knives myself, I suppose, but it's not worth it to me, when Louise is such a treasure trove of expertise, craftsmanship, and information. Last time she came we chatted for over an hour about all sorts of knife-related topics, including the good quote above. She also used to be an arborist, so she came out back and gave some very sage (and organic) advice on two ailing apple trees in the back yard, and kept up a side commentary on all the sorts of knives she sees in her work around town.
So can you guess why vegans are hard on their knives?
It's all those hard vegetables, of course! Meat is tender and easy, compared to the butternut squash and rutabagas of the vegetable world. I eat a lot of those vegetables too, and it was a good reminder to have my knives sharpened every fall.
If you are a vegan or vegetarian, don't forget to check your knives before the holiday rush! There's no substitute for a wicked sharp knife, and a thoroughly professional sharpening should only really be necessary once a year. I know that my knives hold their edge for about that long, which is too bad, because I love talking to Louise and need to find an excuse for her to come round more often.
How do you sharpen your knives? Have you had it done lately? Here are a couple links on getting your knives sharpened, and on how to steel (or straighten the edge) of a knife, which is a very helpful and necessary process but not a substitute for actual sharpening.
• Knife Skills: Keeping Your Knife Sharp
• Leaving Town? Drop Off Your Knives to be Sharpened
• Get Your Knives Sharpened By Mail
And if you're in the Columbus, Ohio, area, do give Louise a call!
• Sharpening On Site
(Image: Flickr member clip works licensed for use under Creative Commons)
Comments (8)
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I just had my knives sharpened last week--I sent them to Seattle Knife Sharpening, and I am very happy with the results. I mailed them on Monday and got them back on Thursday so I didn't even have to wait very long. Highly recommended to anyone in the PNW--especially in Portland, where there is a lack of good knife sharpening services.
view sjbreeze's profile
I have to say it would even occur to me to get somebody else to sharpen my knifes-but if I had somebody like Louise locally then I'd think again! Good point about those vegetables-I think that myself.
view Sian's profile
We're running a restaurant in rural Idaho and surprisingly I think we're having someone local sharpen our knives. Funny how if you live in the city you have to send out for this service!
view hulahulagirl's profile
@hulahulagirl, I bet if you looked in any big city, you could find someone. We're just spoiled and like things to show up at our door. I know there's a guy who sharpens knives at the Ferry Building Farmer's Market in San Francisco. If I thought I could get away with bringing my knives on the bus, I'd have him sharpen them for me. As it is, I kinda want to do it myself.
view Tiamat_the_Red's profile
As a carnivore, I still eat mostly vegetables....it seems like most vegetarians and vegans assume meat eaters eat *only* meat?
view island_monkey's profile
Hahaha--I agree island_monkey. I am by no means a vegetarian or vegan, but I've probably prepared a meat dish 5 or 6 times in the last 3 months.
view BetterBombshell's profile
@island_monkey, if you want to make the point that you don't eat only meat, then you may want to avoid the term "carnivore" in favor of "omnivore" ;)
view akay's profile
I would think most vegans cook at home 90% of the time. Veggies have it a bit easier. There's more prepared foods and fast(er) foods and more places to eat out for them. Hence less cooking in a kitchen, less knife wear. Even more options for omni's. Unless you live somewhere like Portland, to sustain oneself (as a vegan) takes a lot of cooking. It's a bit different I think. I know meat eaters. I was a meat eater. I cook a lot more veggies, a lot more root veggies, a lot more things I hardly ever ate before to diversify my diet then when I was a meat eater. I'm not vegan, but my husband is. There's a lot you can't eat as a vegan (or rather choose not to eat). But I totally understand the quote that vegans are hardest on their knives. I've never ate so many fruits and veggies in my life before my husband went vegan.
view sarahc123's profile