Saw an old-timer break down a hog at a fair last weekend and it stuck with me

I was helping out at a county fair demo (not working, just watching) and this guy in his 70s walked up to the butchering station. He didn't say a word, just pulled out a knife I'd never seen before, something with a curved tip and a really short blade. He broke down that whole hog in maybe 12 minutes, no power tools, just that one knife and his hands. I asked him about it after and he said it was his grandfather's lamb splitter from the 1940s, said they don't make em like that anymore. Made me think about how much we rely on bandsaws and grinders now versus back then when it was all feel and a few good tools. Anybody else run into old-school butchers with tricks that just don't get taught anymore?

2 comments

2 Comments

felix4784d ago

Wait, only one knife and no steel or gloves?

oscarm244d ago

Honestly, that's wild. It's like people forget that having the right tools matters just as much as having the skill. You see this everywhere now, not just in kitchens but in how folks approach everything from fixing their car to setting up a new phone. They want to skip the basics and jump straight to the end result. Ngl, it usually ends up with someone frustrated or making things way harder than they have to be.