sachem allison
Senior Member
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2011
- Messages
- 4,306
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One of the Reasons I started this thread was because several of the cooks over the years that I have given vintage knives too have complained that I gave them an old rusty p.o.s. knife and that I had no respect for them as cooks or human beings. Other cooks totally understood what I was telling them and the true value of the gift that I gave them. They cherished them and brought them back to life and when the time came they asked me to help them find similar pieces, so that they could give them to their apprentices and cooks. Am I crazy in wanting to bring quality and tradition back into the kitchen?
My Master chef gave me a piece of **** paring knife that I dearly love and I haven't found anything sharper or more comfortable. He was given his first working knife by one of Escoffier's apprentices, who also gave him a bandoleer butcher belt similar to Colin's that belonged to Escoffier himself. Colin, himself carries on the tradition by giving me (a complete stranger), the butcher belt he made for himself. Travis carries on the tradition , by asking me to find a vintage Sabatier for a friend. Randy carries on the tradition by sneaking a little something extra into a order. I personally know that some of you on this forum carry on that tradition as most of the knives I sold were bought to give to your cooks or to touch memories of long ago.
I posted a thread yesterday that really started a little debate. The oldest Sabatier in the world thread. In this thread I challenged you guys to find a way to bring back to life a sorely abused, but deeply loved Sabatier. I gave you free reign to do as you saw fit. Many of you guys felt that the knife had earned a well deserved retirement and was best left alone. I received quite a few personal emails telling me that it was unacceptable to mess with history and that I should be ashamed of myself. Passion can be an interesting thing.
On the other side I received a few Pm's asking if they could restore it, not just so they could have it, but so they could actually use it or give it to a new cook or an old timer who would appreciate it. Some just wanted to do it, so that they could experience the craftsmanship that went into making it in the first place. And many thanked me for wanting to bring a forgotten thing back to life.
I understand both sides of the argument and am in no way offended by the passion that both sides have on the subject. This was and is a necessary debate. There will always be people who love and want to preserve history and those who want to move forward. Myself, I prefer living history. preserving the good traditions and qualities of the past by passing them on to be used by the present and future generations. I want this debate and there will be times where I side with one side and then another.
This is a great forum and I respect the members here and their opinions and passions. With that said, I will be having the pieces listed brought back to life. I have many pieces that I will keep as is for future generations to decide what they want to do. Right here and now, I feel that the pieces will be in good hands. They will be with folks who will coax out what life remains and light a little fire that will grow. I ask that you pass on these traditions to the younger generations as many of them seem to be lacking in guidance and care. Smack them upside the head once in awhile. I firmly believe we don't beat our kids enough.lol
I am going to be posting more of these challenges as the days go by and hope that you guys, accept them in the spirit they were intended.
Have a great day. Son
My Master chef gave me a piece of **** paring knife that I dearly love and I haven't found anything sharper or more comfortable. He was given his first working knife by one of Escoffier's apprentices, who also gave him a bandoleer butcher belt similar to Colin's that belonged to Escoffier himself. Colin, himself carries on the tradition by giving me (a complete stranger), the butcher belt he made for himself. Travis carries on the tradition , by asking me to find a vintage Sabatier for a friend. Randy carries on the tradition by sneaking a little something extra into a order. I personally know that some of you on this forum carry on that tradition as most of the knives I sold were bought to give to your cooks or to touch memories of long ago.
I posted a thread yesterday that really started a little debate. The oldest Sabatier in the world thread. In this thread I challenged you guys to find a way to bring back to life a sorely abused, but deeply loved Sabatier. I gave you free reign to do as you saw fit. Many of you guys felt that the knife had earned a well deserved retirement and was best left alone. I received quite a few personal emails telling me that it was unacceptable to mess with history and that I should be ashamed of myself. Passion can be an interesting thing.
On the other side I received a few Pm's asking if they could restore it, not just so they could have it, but so they could actually use it or give it to a new cook or an old timer who would appreciate it. Some just wanted to do it, so that they could experience the craftsmanship that went into making it in the first place. And many thanked me for wanting to bring a forgotten thing back to life.
I understand both sides of the argument and am in no way offended by the passion that both sides have on the subject. This was and is a necessary debate. There will always be people who love and want to preserve history and those who want to move forward. Myself, I prefer living history. preserving the good traditions and qualities of the past by passing them on to be used by the present and future generations. I want this debate and there will be times where I side with one side and then another.
This is a great forum and I respect the members here and their opinions and passions. With that said, I will be having the pieces listed brought back to life. I have many pieces that I will keep as is for future generations to decide what they want to do. Right here and now, I feel that the pieces will be in good hands. They will be with folks who will coax out what life remains and light a little fire that will grow. I ask that you pass on these traditions to the younger generations as many of them seem to be lacking in guidance and care. Smack them upside the head once in awhile. I firmly believe we don't beat our kids enough.lol
I am going to be posting more of these challenges as the days go by and hope that you guys, accept them in the spirit they were intended.
Have a great day. Son