1967, Hope Chest and Cutco Knives

11/20/2013

Did the heading capture your attention?  Wonder what those three things have in common?  

In the 60's my generation was blessed with good music: Elvis, Beatles, Rolling Stones and of course Motown, just to mention a few.  I have programmed two channels on the car radio to play 50'6 and 60's.  It does amuse me that I hear these songs played on the Easy Listening channel - minus the vocals.  

In the 60's it was the norm for a girl to have a hope chest in which she put things for her home after she was married.  I didn't have a hope chest per say, but I did put things that would have gone into a hope chest in my closet to be used eventually.  One year for Christmas, my Grandmother gave me 8 stemmed glasses and I have them still.  For years I kept those glasses in their original boxes, but finally moved them into the cupboard so that they can actually be used. Disclaimer: they may be in the cupboard, but I seldom use them, because I don't want a glass to break.  I know the old argument about what good is something if you don't ever use it  I have formed an attachment to these beautiful, but seldom seen, glasses.

There was something else that was prevalent during that time.  Door-to-door sales people.  The Avon representative called on my mother every week and seldom left the house without a sale.  There was also the Fuller Brush Man and the man who came around selling Charles' Chips (amazing potato chips).

A Cutco salesman (knives, kitchen gadgets, etc.) called at the house and I listened, as did my parents, to his spiel.  I bought that day the kitchen tool set (masher, spatula, etc.) and some knives - butcher (waste of good money, I can't even remember the last time it was ever used.  I also bought what the company calls a Salmon knife (basically a very long serrated knife) and a paring knife.  Obviously, the knives stayed in their packages until I moved out of my parents' house.

So let's talk about the paring knife for a moment.  I have had that knife since 1967, it's dull (and I like it that way) and much loved.  I use it every day and it chops up vegetables, meat, and you name it.  The family knows that I wish to be buried with this knife.  I know that nobody will appreciate it and it's likely it could end up in the garbage.  Hence, I've decided to take it with me.  An odd request I know but one that I hope my family honors.

Cutco does free sharpening of their knives and a few years ago Jeff sent said special knife to Cutco for sharpening.   And here's what happened after he sent the knife in.  Cutco sent me a new paring knife and kept the old one to be disposed of.  I went nuts.  There explanation was that the knife was beyond sharpening and they decided they would do me a favor by giving me a new one.  Boy were they wrong about that.  Jeff launched a telephone campaign with Cutco for them to find the knife and send it to me.  Luckily, somehow my knife was found before it was destroyed and returned to me.  They also allowed me to keep the new knife but I don't use it - it's too sharp for me.  With my old trusty knife I can almost cut up anything without looking and have no fear of being cut!  That's how dull it actually is.  I really love this knife and it never gets put in a drawer because it's in near constant use!

Okay, so that's my story about 1967, a Hope Chest and a Cutco knife.  Bottom line is: don't mess with my knife!

P