Objects

The first of a set of twelve platter knives bearing the trademark "BUBELA | SHEFFIELD STEEL", visible on one side of the blade. The knife is silver in colour. The blade is made of stainless steel; the handle is plated. The blade is oblong with a rounded edge, while the handle is flat and widens downwards. The lower part of the handle is decorated with an art déco geometric motif. The decoration consists of two simple grooves (thinnings) running along both edges of the handle. The end of the handle is bevelled where it has been thinned.

Dining knives are slender, with a cutting edge on one side of the blade. According to the principles of savoir-vivre (French: savoir —knowing, vivre — living; thus the art of "knowing how to live"), the functions of the dinner knife are limited. Indeed, it is only intended to be used for cutting meats and sausages. Traditionally, it is inappropriate to use it to cut the vegetables (especially potatoes) or lettuce on the plate. This is because the former should be soft enough so that guests can easily separate them into smaller pieces using a fork. The lettuce, on the other hand, should be torn by the cook finely enough so that guests do not need to cut it at all. This was because back in the day, when the use of silver or plated cutlery was more common, the contact between a silver blade and a lettuce leaf was believed to cause bitterness. Dinner knives should also not be used to spread butter on bread. This is done using a dedicated knife that is smaller and blunt. Guests are also served a separate small plate for bread. It should be on the left side of the setting, above the plate. Bread should not be sliced, but broken over a plate into smaller chunks, each of which is separately spread with butter.

MF