Old timer at the counter taught me more in 5 minutes than my whole apprenticeship

Back in 2019 I was working a Saturday shift at a shop in Boise and this retired guy comes in for a pork shoulder. He watched me start trimming it and just said "you're fighting the grain, son." He showed me how to feel for the direction with my thumb instead of looking, then had me flip the blade angle. I still do that check every single carcass I break down now. Anyone else pick up a trick like that from a stranger that just stuck around forever?

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the_zara22d ago

Old guy at the hardware store showed me how to sharpen a knife by feel instead of counting strokes, and I swear it clicked in like thirty seconds. Been doing it that way for years now and my blades last twice as long between sharpens. Funny how the random folks you meet in line end up teaching you more than the folks who are supposed to teach you lol.