Here again...being on holiday these days leaves me more time to think...
About the last posts on this thread, I think I'll start another thread on 'knife friendly places, Europe vs USA, and so on'.
But now I want to get back to Carl's reflections, and add something else to my thoughts about it.
i don't think we will ever be able to give a decent (meaning evidence based) answer to Carl's question. Is the grass on the other side always greener? Do we stick to our own way cause we think that, after all, it's the best one? Single blade or multi blade?
There are hundreds of possible answers, but my guess is that all of them might be underestimating the importance of casualty.
In an earlier post, I said that my ancestors didn't need a second blade. But how can I be so sure that they didn't wish for an extra blade, and didn't have the chance to get it? Or, on the other side, how can I tell that most Americans ended up using always the same blade (although they had 2 or 3), or that they used more than one blade only because they had it in their pocket?
I just can't.
I do believe that needs weren't (and aren't) any different on both sides of the ocean...but there is a difference in how knives actually are.
Obviously, this isn't stopping me from wanting to buy my first multibladed American traditional. In fact, it's just pushing me towards it.
Cultural differences (even in knife culture) are sometimes very hard to explain, and much easier to enjoy. So I'm going to get a 2 bladed knife and make my own idea about it, considering my needs and use and so on.
I hope I will be open to discover it with little or no prejudice (and avoid the 'my way must be better' attitude), and just enjoy it. Time will tell what I will end up carrying most. Meanwhile, I'm happy to say I'm enjoying the whole road I'm walking on, and somehow I owe much of it to you.
Fausto
