That chat with an old-school butcher at the deli counter got me rethinking my whole approach to breaking down a pork shoulder

He told me I was fighting the grain instead of working with it and handed me a 30-year-old boning knife that glided through like butter, and now I'm wondering if I've been making things harder than they need to be for the past 7 years - anyone else ever get schooled by someone who's been at this since before you were born?

3 comments

3 Comments

lisa_brown2d ago

That old-school knowledge thing is everywhere once you start paying attention. My dad had this old guy at the hardware store who could tell you exactly which screw would work just by looking at the worn-out hole you brought in on a piece of wood, no computer or measuring tape needed. It's like some folks just have a sixth sense from doing things the hard way for so long.

avery_fox932d ago

@victorclark has a good point about the knife. That kind of hands-on learning is something you can't really get from a manual or a video. My dad had a mechanic like that, could diagnose a car just by listening to it idle for ten seconds. It's like their whole body has been trained to pick up on things the rest of us just walk right past.

victorclark2d ago

Wait, he just handed you a 30-year-old boning knife at the deli counter? Like, pulled it out of his apron or something? That is wild to me. I gotta wonder how many times that thing has been sharpened over the decades, it must be just a sliver of steel by now. Seriously, getting schooled by someone who's been breaking down meat since before you were born is the best way to learn, they just have that feel for it you can't get from a YouTube video.