What You Never Knew You Wanted In a Knife

Most people who are from enthusiast to professional cook have a love for cutlery knives either as an extension of themselves or a status symbol.  However, Bob Kramer takes this to another level.  The majority of individuals do not know the extent in the production of one of these knives; however, you know just by looking, it took a lot of care and effort.  Bob Kramer is part of a dying breed of the seriously dedicated to hand crafted workmanship. 

Much like a qualitative research method called the ZMET, Bob has cracked the code to giving a knife a personality of its own.  An individual will pay thousands of dollars for just one of his knives.  In the series Raw Craft with Anthony Bourdain (to your left) is a clear example of how the physical transition of research pays off.  To look at more of Bob Kramer's work click here.

 

I think this speaks volumes about our current climate in the manufacturing of goods.  We now are in a state of mind that everyone generally fits in style A or style B with the addition of surface cosmetics (color and type of fabric). You buy a pair of shoes from Nike and they don't quite fit right but we kid ourselves by saying we need to break them in.  Indeed that was the thought process on knives in the past.  You use it enough that you learn to accommodate the knife and in turn the knife takes on your errors of use.  An example of this would be how you sharpen your blades over time.  This creates a change to the shape of the original edging and curvature of the blade.  On Bob Kramer's website on his philosophy page he states:

Somewhere in my journey, I came across the Japanese concept of Kaizen. It is the idea of "improvement" - that by focusing on improving a product or process by our attention to detail, and being present, we are also changing. In my shop we use Kaizen to mean The Relentless Pursuit of Excellence. Every day we ask, "how can we do this better?".
My quest is to make the best kitchen knives available. This wouldn't be possible without the support and interest of my customers and those who appreciate the art of craft. Thank you.

And I find that to be a hidden meaning in our every day lives.  We are sold on the idea because of marketing that buying certain things will provide happiness and a feeling of inclusiveness with a product.  Jeep owners wave at each other, golf clubs or any other type of resort you pay a premium for a sense of community.  It all means nothing though at the end of the day in terms of improving yourself.  That quote above about the thought process of Kaizen is the driving force for all aspiring cooks and Chefs.  You have to have that kind of mindset when you are creating the same dish over and over again.  Each day you try to make the presentation a little better, a little faster and a little more confidently.  We want things to be an extension of ourselves and in that truly great work is not manufactured in production but in the individuals striving for excellence day after day.  I would recommend looking at the following three videos also if you are into
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A Real Passion for Suits
















and The Feel of a Truly Fitting Shoe