Hugh Macaulay

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• October 8, 1998, on Kitchen Remodeling:

  Sabatier knives? Allow me to paraphrase Homer Simpson: "uhhhhmmmm....Sabatier knives....." My good buddy, Gordon, went to Lee Valley Tools here in Ottawa (possibly the best place to buy anything hard, sharp, or useful in the world--or at least in Canada) and bought a dozen Sabatier knives that were made in the 1920s. That's right. Lee Valley found a boatload of the things in France and offered them for sale. Mine is the l'enfer model. It has a non-stainless, ultra-high carbon blade about 10 inches long and a very rudimentary, unfinished rosewood handle that is simply riveted onto the tang. This knife has served as my primary cutting tool for two years and has not lost one iota of its sharpness. The blade was obviously designed for cooks, as it is perfectly shaped for anything except fine paring. My knife block is full of other knives: all sorts of expensive German and American steelware. But the Sabatier is the only one that gets any use. ...

• April 27, 1999, on Bicycles:

  Two remarks above, Mark mentions the cyclo-cross frame as a good compromise between road and mountain options. I could not agree more. As a dedicated roadie, I'll do most of my stare-at-the-wheel-in-front-of-me riding on my beautiful old Marinoni (made the old way in Montreal). But my butt spends far more time on my equally old and beautiful Bianchi cyclo-cross. It is a wonderfully fast, rugged city bike; is quite possibly the best frame for loaded touring; and, in a pinch, is a fine off-road rig. And all of these options can be had without having to swap wheels. My local wheel builder provided me with a pair of incredibly tough Titan Tour rims with Continental Top Touring tires, and these have, so far, handled all the abuse I have put them through. Perfect.