Old Fashioned Choppers: Can You Buy Them Now?
When I was a tiny tot (many, many years ago), Mom had a well-appointed (for that time and place) kitchen and while not otherwise occupied reading Golden books or fighting with my little brother I observed some of her food operations. Were there food processors? Nay! Blenders hadn't even yet appeared. No. Mom had a little two-piece thing, about as low-tech as can be imagined. Paleolithic even (seriously). There was a wooden bowl (part 1) and then there was a chopping knife with a handle (part 2), and the chopping knife's edge fitted into the bowl exactly. The chopping knife handle was above the blade and attached at both ends, not like a normal knife, so that the entire knife-handle construction was rather square, with the knife-edge being rounded to fit the bowl.
And anything that needed to be chopped (onions, garlic, parsley, spices, potatoes, etc., etc.) went into the bowl and was chopped. Quickly and effectively and efficiently. Much simpler, easier (and I'll bet faster) than using a "food processor" today. No nonsense.
Well, believe it or not, we've been through kitchen-goods stores and kitchen-goods sections many times for many hours without spotting anything like what I attempted to describe above. Of course, what retailer wouldn't prefer selling a hundred-dollar food processor to selling a dollar ninety-eight chopper? And yet I have a hankering after Mom's old chopper (the original having long since disappeared, together with Mom herself).
Anyone have one of these gizmos? Know where to buy one? Seen one in a store or catalogue? Think about all those third-world countries where cooks simply can't aspire to electrical things. This kind of chopper still has to be around, somewhere. Are there specialized catalogs or websites for "traditional" food-processing implements?
All responses appreciated and cheerfully acknowledged.
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