Random Thought Thread

Nathan the Machinist said:
I'm curious about this circumstances surrounding eating a raw horse. There's got to be a good story here?
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I guess it's an ok story. Basically, my first long-ish stay in Japan was in north Tokyo when I was 23. I had nothing specific to do most of the time except wander around and go to Kendo practice at a place called Shiseikan in Kawaguchi city. After a while I started sleeping at the dojo in like a sort of attic storage closet so I got to know everyone really well. I stayed after practice more and more and started going out drinking with the teachers (there were seven of them--it was a big place). So, one time we were out back having a barbeque after a long Saturday practice, drinking beer mixed with shochu, and this one sensei who I used to call "muzakashi sensei" (i.e. difficult teacher) because he'd always beat the shit out of me, in a friendly way, and smile about it under his mask passed me this kind of long, stringy looking meat in a supermarket pack. And I was like... I don't recognize the characters on this label. It sort of looked like venison? And Muzakashi sensei tells me to dip it in this sauce I've never seen before, which is all yellow and radishy. I'm like, ok it can't be that bad. I'm thinking you grill it with the sauce on, right? Kind of like a sukiyaki or something like that. But then he reaches across, takes the pack, and shows me how to eat it. And he does that by dipping it raw in the sauce and eating it straight up, no grill. Which is crazy because the pack was really cold. Like, gross cold it just came from the fridge cold. And then he gives it to me to eat. So I do and it's so fucking slimy and gamy and chewy and cold. It's just... not pleasant even slightly. The sauce is the only thing making it palatable. I chew the absolute minimum number of times and when I swallow it slips down in there like an eel and I can feel the cold spot in my stomach. But of course it's in front of everyone and this is a moment for the foreigner so on the outside I'm like "OOOoohh, ahh, this is so good. Mmm. Wow. Thank you sooo much. What is this?" And a few of the other sensei laugh and say uma. And I know that word means horse. So I'm like "oh... interesting... thank you sooo much... Wow... MMMMmmm." And muzakashi sensei is super pleased with himself, and actually everyone looks so happy with themselves that I like it, so even worse now I feel like I have to eat more. So I tried to eat enough to make a show of it, like 4-5 slimy strips, and then I passed it down the table far, far away from me. It has been almost 19 years from then and I distinctly remember the cold feeling of that stuff in my mouth. Not even raw chicken is as bad.
 
Box_Opener said:
I guess it's an ok story. Basically, my first long-ish stay in Japan was in north Tokyo when I was 23. I had nothing specific to do most of the time except wander around and go to Kendo practice at a place called Shiseikan in Kawaguchi city. After a while I started sleeping at the dojo in like a sort of attic storage closet so I got to know everyone really well. I stayed after practice more and more and started going out drinking with the teachers (there were seven of them--it was a big place). So, one time we were out back having a barbeque after a long Saturday practice, drinking beer mixed with shochu, and this one sensei who I used to call "muzakashi sensei" (i.e. difficult teacher) because he'd always beat the shit out of me, in a friendly way, and smile about it under his mask passed me this kind of long, stringy looking meat in a supermarket pack. And I was like... I don't recognize the characters on this label. It sort of looked like venison? And Muzakashi sensei tells me to dip it in this sauce I've never seen before, which is all yellow and radishy. I'm like, ok it can't be that bad. I'm thinking you grill it with the sauce on, right? Kind of like a sukiyaki or something like that. But then he reaches across, takes the pack, and shows me how to eat it. And he does that by dipping it raw in the sauce and eating it straight up, no grill. Which is crazy because the pack was really cold. Like, gross cold it just came from the fridge cold. And then he gives it to me to eat. So I do and it's so fucking slimy and gamy and chewy and cold. It's just... not pleasant even slightly. The sauce is the only thing making it palatable. I chew the absolute minimum number of times and when I swallow it slips down in there like an eel and I can feel the cold spot in my stomach. But of course it's in front of everyone and this is a moment for the foreigner so on the outside I'm like "OOOoohh, ahh, this is so good. Mmm. Wow. Thank you sooo much. What is this?" And a few of the other sensei laugh and say uma. And I know that word means horse. So I'm like "oh... interesting... thank you sooo much... Wow... MMMMmmm." And muzakashi sensei is super pleased with himself, and actually everyone looks so happy with themselves that I like it, so even worse now I feel like I have to eat more. So I tried to eat enough to make a show of it, like 4-5 slimy strips, and then I passed it down the table far, far away from me. It has been almost 19 years from then and I distinctly remember the cold feeling of that stuff in my mouth. Not even raw chicken is as bad.
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I drank horse blood 'wine' and ate raw snake bladder in the past, but horse meat is pretty outlandish and you definitely took it like a champ. Such life as Uchideshi.
 
Nathan the Machinist said:
I like vegetables I like beans. But there are plenty of days where I eat nothing but meat.
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Same. I'll also eat fruits and vegetables for the fiber and vitamins, but there are days where I don't eat any high carb foods.

I have several vegan friends and enjoy the dishes I've tried, but I simply like meat way too much to forgo it.

While it may be true that a lot of the flavor is in the seasoning (which is why chicken is fairly easy to substitute/fake with the vegan versions), I actually like the taste of meat, especially beef and venison. A lightly seasoned, prime steak, cooked medium rare... ahhhh....:D

In all my travels, one of my favorite things to do was sample all the local delicacies. That included vegetarian, vegan and even some decidedly oddball stuff (Cobra blood and gizzard with rice wine, split duck heads...). There's only one instance I can recall of absolutely refusing to try something.
 
Curse you Justin. Knifemakers aren't supposed to talk shit about other knifemakers. Although I guess technically he's not a knife maker? IDK. I'm sure I would get along with him great in person. And his arms look great don't they? but he does not seem to me to know a great deal about what he's talking about.
 
fonedork said:
"[CPM 3V] might lose a little bit of an edge quicker than a stainless type blade, but I don't like stainless blades in the field."

Wut
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Many (most?) manufacturers use a standard 3V heat treat that's pretty soft. Nate's 3V definitely has better edge holding than most of these mass manufactured knives, despite them touting the 'super-steels' used.
 
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