Sharper (or how to begin an article)

"Bob Kramer is one of a hundred and twenty-two people in the world, and the only former chef, to have been certified in the United States as a Master Bladesmith. To earn that title, which is conferred by the American Bladesmith Society, Kramer underwent five years of study, culminating in the manufactre, through hand-forging, of six knives. One of those was a roughly finished, fifteen-inch bowie knife, which Kramer had to use to accomplish four tasks, in this order: cut through an inch-thick piece of Manila rope in a single wipe, chop through a two-by-four, twice, place the blade on his forearm and, with the belly of the blade that had one all the chopping, shave a swath of arm hair; and, finally, lock the knife in a vise and permanently bend it ninety degrees. The combination of these challenges tests steel's two chief but confliction capabilities: its flexibility and its hardness."

Todd Oppenheimer, Sharper. Article published on the last Food Issue of The New Yorker.