Country Knife

Confessions Of A Country Parson

Alexander Poots | UnHerd | 11th January 2024

In praise of the Revd James Woodforde’s diaries. A kind of rural Pepys, he began keeping a daily record of what he called “trifles” when a student in 1759. He concluded at the age of 63, sixty volumes later. Weather, religion, food and wine preoccupied him; he notes when the chamber pots froze and when he bottled his moonshine. “A whole world is born from years of tight observation” (1,200 words)

A Knife Forged In Fire

Laurence Gonzales | Chicago | 9th January 2024

Making a Japanese-style kitchen knife is difficult and time consuming, but worth it. The blade produced by the process described here is a work of art. “The knife slid through the onion’s flesh with no resistance. It felt like cutting air. I rinsed it and wiped it dry and during dinner we propped it up in its black velvet case and we stared at it like early humans in a cave somewhere, watching fire” (7,000 words)