Chem,
I don’t know anything directly about knife manufacture and marketing either in China or in Japan, so I rely on collaborators who do. My Japanese collaborator typically spends one day a week with me at my home where we can try out knives together and he can teach me how things are done in Japanese restaurants and homes. He goes back every two or three years.
My other collaborator is directly involved with Chinese manufacturers and representatives, tests their knives, and has even recently been to Hong Kong.
I now have purchased five Chinese kitchen knives that have all performed really well. I also have purchased six Shun knives that are grabbably close in my kitchen, as well as another four I’ve shared with family and my collaborator. My Shun experience dates from receiving a KAI Seki Magoroku in Japan more than 30 years ago.
I can compare them directly in my home kitchen. I can also follow Japanese and Chinese knives remotely on my computer with further feedback from my collaborators. There is no doubt that my most recent Chinese Xinzuo kitchen knives perform very well even as the price point spread compared to Japanese competitors grows.
I’m interested in evaluating them in terms of cultural fusion–especially here in SOCAL, where cultural diversity in cooking is a breeding ground. Shuns remain the standard for Japanese American fusion (for me), but my Xinzuo knives are catching up. Their weight, feel, and profile seem Americanized to the point that they are almost interchangeable with my Shuns.
Still, with my birthday coming up, I’ve managed to “steal” a Shun Fuji Chef knife I’ve been curious about for five years–hopelessly out of my cost/value proposition until Ebay helped out. It’s always been my dream for what a Japanese-American hybrid Chef’s knife should be . . .
Ray
