ginsu

[opabinia]

Earlier this week, I read that it takes a sharp knife to get into a shark, so I grabbed a big, dull kitchen knife, borrowed a whet-stone, and raised a nice burr on the edge. Then I poured the ground stone dust on my arm, sprinkled it with water, and stropped. I wrote all of that just to tell you that stropping a knife on your arm feels really strange. You should try it sometime. Be careful.

Took today off, headed for The Canal alone. I caught a shark, and prepared to do exactly what The Internet told me to do.



I had been dreading the first cut, thinking it would take some hard, noisy, messy sawing to get through the skin and sever the spinal cord. Now, listen -- either sharks are made of butter, or that knife got TERRIFYINGLY SHARP. With one gentle stroke, the fish fell open under the blade, silently, like nothing I've ever seen. It was positively surreal, impossible to describe. Is my left arm a magical strop? Is that my super-power? Better than nothing, I guess.

This entry is getting kinda weird. I'll stop here. May have been out in the Sun too long.

Comments

[xenoglaux]

A sharp knife, drawn properly, is a beautiful thing.

[julishka.livejournal.com]

what, no pictures?

plurals can be odd

[mangokat.livejournal.com]

I like knives.

Re: plurals can be odd

[lepidosiren.livejournal.com]

Leaves!

Oxen! Geese! Moose! Octopodes!

[panzerkunst.livejournal.com]

Mice! Liverpudians! Cthulhu!

[jhimm.livejournal.com]

there's a "stropping young lad" joke
in here somewhere.

[tisana.livejournal.com]

How...how does one strop on the arm? I thought it had to be...dunno, leather or something?

very carefully

[lepidosiren.livejournal.com]

It's usually leather with an abrasive dust rubbed into it. This was skin with an abrasive paste of sharpening stone dust on top. Found the trick here:

http://www.instructables.com/id/EMKDW824LYEP287ZB0/

[panzerkunst.livejournal.com]

Have you done this before?? I would think it'd be a last resort sort of thing.

[lepidosiren.livejournal.com]

Oh, it just looks and feels strange. It's really not dangerous unless you take too steep an angle (scrrrrape) or go the wrong way (slllice).

[fusion-waste.livejournal.com]

You, sir, are a bad-ass.

Just don't try to dress like Vin D in a ripped white dress shirt. ;)

[rojagato.livejournal.com]

Kick Ass.

That's what you do.

You need to show me the stropping thing some time. Maybe when you invite me over for shark steak.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_asenath_/]

cool! did you eat the shark yet?
my uncle used to do a very funny impression of ginsu knife commercials.

[lepidosiren.livejournal.com]

Nope, not yet. I kept three small sharks, and all twelve half-fillets are in the freezer right now. I think I'll try the orange marinade recipe first. I'll report on my findings.