For those who have been reading my posts, it is quite clear that I am a bit of a knife afficionado. As for those of you who have not been reading, I am a bit of a knife afficionado.
There is something elegantly alluring in a shiny, sharp, polished piece of crafted steel designed to cut through glorious food. As strange as it may sound, holding a well-made knife can be deeply soothing. The balance, heft, sharpness all blend into the hand until the instrument is one with the body.
Instead of randomly rambling about my love of knives, though, I thought I would write about my go-to knife store: Markman knives. No, this is not a sponsored post, but simply a heads up to someone who is passionate about blades.
As I am writing this, I am realising that social media has played a pretty important role in my discovery of great stores. At the risk of being repetitive, I stumbled across Markman while scrolling like a madman (see the word play?) on Facebook. Ethically speaking, I cannot scroll past any knife ad. It is against the very constiution of my being. The ad in question was for the Icel brand, a well-known Portuguese knife manufacturer. I was mesmerised by the diversity of items available and one of the knives caught my attention. A 25cm, 1240g, massive cleaver. Of course I am no butcher, and of course there is no way I would use this kind of thing. Did I want it though? Ohhhh yessss. The next thing I knew, I had ordered it and was patiently waiting. Everything went well, it reached my hands, and I had a knifegasm. ‘Nuff said.
One thing led to another, and the next item I bought was an Icel Chef’s Knife. I mean, it’s reflex. It’s not really my fault. I still remember, the knife came neatly packaged, as usual and I kept the box aside. Mr. Zuberr always makes it a point to follow up all orders. He asked “do you like the peeler”? I thought it was some sort of attempt to have me buy another peeler, to which I repolied “I already have peelers”. “Did you not receive it? It’s a gift”. I rushed back to the box and here it was, an Ivo peeler nestled in protective paper. What a clumsy nincompoop I was. I am still thankful that I had not thrown away the box. That is the approach of the seller. Sharing passion for great knives and other great kitchen instruments. The peeler was among the best I used and the blade remained impeccably sharp after sustained use. I had the best after-sales service from Markman, following a minor niggle which was resolved faster than I can type niggle. Among my favourite knives that I got from there is a Chinese chef knife. Now, this is often confused for a cleaver. It is NOT a cleaver. It is not meant to hack bones. It is simply the rectangular-shaped, magnificent cooking tool. The large profile makes it super versatile: crushing garlic, cutting, chopping, slicing, and scooping everything at one go, using it like a small tray…this is pure exhilaration.
Markman is not about business, and it is made clear, explicitly and implicitly. And that’s something rare. It’s about sheer passion for knives. And it’s quite easy to notice. The first time I met Mr. Zuberr was for my fourth or fifth knife order, a 33 layer Mcusta Zanmai damascus Santoku knife. All other transactions were through Whatsapp and post. I always wanted a Japanese knife since forever. These things are something else. The design philosophy, balance and steel used are just on another level. A knife made in Seki, the knife capital of Japan, is a true gift. Of course, such a knife is best handed over person to person. I was there in the shop and I instantly recognised him by the huge bandage on his thumb. An unorthodox way of showcasing the efficiency of his knives indeed. As it turns out, the knife slipped while he was attempting to take it off the magnetic holder during an exhibition. Naturellement. On that same day, he had me sample the best olive oil I had ever tasted, and perhaps one of the best that exists: Rincon de La Subbetica, the multi-awarded olive oil. It’s the type of oil that captures the essence, the soul of the olive tree in each drop, and transports the taster to the olive garden, like the breeze that blows between the leaves of the plants. Naturally, I bought that one two after a few weeks because of reasons.
The Mcusta Zanmai is an absolute joy to use. As I mentioned in another post, it is a therapeutic experience, the way it just glides through food, with minimal effort. Cutting becomes a meditative dance combined with contemplative stillness. Such knives are not cheap of course. But among the amazing things at Markman is that there are quality knifes for all budgets. Icel knives offer excellent price to quality ratio. They are sturdy, extremely well-balanced and are able to hold their edge for a long time. But all knives dull over time, so I HAD to buy those glorious Japanese whetstones and the holder that complements them. It’s the natural order of things. This is how things are meant to be. I am still learning how to use them properly though...it is only a matter of time.
Zuberr also actively participates in exhibitions, with a fascinating array of knives and associated products. Truly the Ali Baba cave of the knife fanatic. Cooking knives, cleavers, whetsones, leather strops, leather holsters and aprons, chain mail gloves, cut-resistant gloves, honing steels, peelers…This is absolute bliss. The last time I checked Markman Facebook page, Mr. Zuberr and his team were invited by Polytechnics Mauritius to showcase their blades. How cool is that! I, for one, was overjoyed to see that, and of course, drooled over those Japanese knives. Absolutely brilliant stuff.
I have more knives than fingers and toes combined. And the number will keep growing. I think there is something in knives that appeals to some deeper parts of my psyche. Things that are not necessarily understandable or at least, things that are not meant to be analysed too much. There is no need to. I simply look forward to my next purchase at Markman’s. As a certain Mandalorian would say, this is the way.
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