We sold pretty much everything we owned when we moved to China. At the time, we figured we’d be here for at least five years. Now if you ask, we’ll shrug and say we’re not sure. We understand now that things can change in a moment here, but we foresee a longer stay.

I did keep a few things for my kitchen when we came–like a favorite paring knife or two. But soon after we arrived, I had some dear Chinese friends show me how much better it is to use a cleaver. Now, if for any reason, I use a paring knife, and JavaMan happens to be around, he’ll say, “Why are you using that?”

A cleaver really is a wonderful thing. And the one kitchen utensil I really missed when we were back home in Canada.

To keep my cleaver kuai (fast), it’s gotta be sharpened. But never fear, at least once a week, the knife guy comes to the neighborhood. He carries his work station with him, and a megaphone. The megaphone blasts out a message, but it’s not the message itself that draws attention, it’s the sing-songy way the canned announcement goes out over the megaphone. When we returned to China last year and heard the message blasting around the neighborhood for the first time, Pumpkin confessed to having missed his little song.

Recently, the knife guy came by and I had my knife sharpened. Though I know better, I left a thumb in its path the following week. So, in case you should be convinced of the need for a cleaver, you may want to follow these safety tips: