Encounter with a Flemish razor clam in Thailand
In Megabreak, the pool hall in Pattaya where, as you may know, I regularly come, I meet people of all backgrounds from many countries. A fish filler from Iceland, a pharmacist from Paris, a bank employee from Rotterdam, a tugboat captain from Norway, a truck driver from Sweden, a warehouse worker from Finland, a welder from Germany, etc., I could easily add a few dozen professions to the list.
scissors sleep
But last week I got into a conversation with Barry from Izegem. He was on holiday in Thailand, because January and February were quiet months in his profession. He told me that he stands on the market, not as a real merchant, but as a sharpener of scissors and knives. “Oh”, I said, “then you are an old-fashioned scissors sharpener” “Yes”, replied Barry, “but with the difference that we do it with modern, electrically driven sharpening equipment and not on one of those carts with a sharpening stone that is driven with the foot by means of large turning wheels.”
History
I remember the scissors-walker as a man who drove through the streets with a certain regularity and loudly proclaimed that he could sharpen scissors and knives. The man came on a cargo bike on which he had all the necessary tools available. In even earlier days, the grinding wheels and belts were driven by foot power via a belt, but the scissors grinder of my youth already used its own diesel or petrol engine. Today, the scissors shoe has almost completely disappeared from the street scene, only at annual fairs or on other special occasions can you occasionally admire a beautiful scissor shoe cart.
Need to sharpen scissors and knives
Partly due to the arrival of cheap scissors and knives (“junk”, says Barry), the market for the maintenance of scissors and knives has become smaller, because the material that has worn out is simply replaced with new. The old-fashioned scissors shoe has therefore become almost superfluous. But the need for sharpening scissors and knives has not disappeared. What I didn't realize is that, according to Barry, in his working area of West Flanders alone there are "hundreds of thousands, if not a million" of knives and scissors from the more expensive class, which you don't just throw away when you wear them out and have them maintained. Think in particular of commercially used scissors and knives in, for example, barbershops, restaurant kitchens, tailor shops, butcher shops, etc., where knives and scissors are used, which can cost only a few hundred Euros.
On the market
Barry stands 6 days a week in the morning at local markets in places around his hometown. Then in the afternoon he goes to his (regular) customers to carry out the grinding work on site. Although it is a unique profession, he is of course not the only knife sharpener. I searched the internet and found several websites of knife sharpeners, mostly active regionally in Belgium or the Netherlands.
Sharpen knives and scissors in Thailand
There will also be companies in Thailand that can sharpen and maintain quality knives and scissors. I didn't look for them any further, because I don't need them. The scissors and knives that we use at home are cheap and when they are worn out we buy new ones for little Baht.
Reminds me of the little man I saw regularly at the fish market in Naklua. He sat on the curb with a wooden block over which sandpaper was stretched and manually dragged mostly knives from the market vendors.
Finally
On YouTube you can see a scissors knife at work and also listen to many performances of “Come friends in the round”. I chose the video below, which shows beautiful pictures of the old-fashioned vehicles of the scissors.
About this blogger
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Bert Gringhuis (1945), born and raised in Almelo in the beautiful Twente. Later lived for many years in Amsterdam and Alkmaar, working in export for various companies. I first came to Thailand in 1980 and immediately fell in love with the country. Been back many times since then and moved to Thailand after my (early) retirement as a widower. I have been living there for 22 years now with my somewhat younger Thai lady Poopae.
My first experiences in Thailand as a kind of newsletter sent to family, friends and acquaintances, which later appeared under the name Gringo on Thailandblog. Many, many articles followed those first stories and that has grown into an almost daily hobby.
In the Netherlands still an avid footballer and football referee, but the years are starting to tell and in Thailand still avid, but the pool billiards is really of inferior quality, ha ha!
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Very nice Bert!!!
Special contribution.
Class.
Until about 2 years ago I regularly saw a thai crowd sleeping through soi Bongkot – Pattaya riding by bicycle.
Now it's nowhere to be seen, now that some of my good knives are blunt, and the one you say at the fish market at Naklua I've unfortunately never seen, would be welcome.
Dear joke shake,
Maybe an idea to buy a whetstone yourself (as in the photo, but then flat, new)
and try to do it yourself, get used to it and you will never want anything else.
regards mart
I once, long ago, bought a knife and scissor sharpening machine in Belgium. It's a Philips HR2571. Brought that to Thailand because I hadn't seen it here yet. They may have it here now. It has always worked very well. Almost all sizes of knives, which you normally use in a kitchen, can be sharpened razor sharp. There is also the possibility to sharpen scissors.
Thank you Bart,
I recognized many verses, but could only sing along with the chorus at the top of my lungs, wiping away a tear.
That says something about my age, hahaaaa.
That's something different than: “we are the polishers from Paris” !!!