You know the adage "anticipation is half the fun"? How true is that in your life? I, for one, have most often found that the anticipation is nearly all the "fun"--all because what I anticipated never quite realized into what I had envisioned.

That is until now.

I have kept meaning to write of my culinary joy. For months I have meant to set down on the screen how I feel about my new knife. You see, for a couple of years, I have wanted a santoku knife. For many years now, I have been working on establishing a knife collection ever since my brother gifted me with a set of Henckles steak knives. I then got a tomato knife and a boning knife. Next came a butcher's block for storage. I had thought that my favorite "knife" was going to be my kitchen shears (they fit so perfectly in a small spot in the center of the block), but I was wrong...so wrong.

I was down to two slots left. One is for a cleaver and one was the size of a chef's knive. I knew what I wanted there. I wanted the santoku. It is ubiquitous on cooking shows and always seems to be a very effective tool for the on-screen chef. The way their hand could curl around the handle and be supported off the surface of the cutting board was so compelling to watch. The santoku comes with a straight surface or one with little divots that make whatever you are cutting just fall off the knife quite beautifully. I am not sure if I would ever use a cleaver (though I still want one to finish up my collection), but I just knew that I would use that santoku.

I told myself that if I were to ever get a job, that the knife would be my celebration gift, even though after 13 months I had absolutely no business spending money on anything that was not absolutely necessary. Still... I really wanted that knife.

Well, in the nearly six months I have had my beloved knife, I have never ceased to marvel at how much having it actually exceeded my expectations and anticipation. Holding it is ever so comfortably. Chopping is a breeze. What more could you want? Well, I must add that I even feel a bit empowered when I am using it to prepare my food.

Seriously, now, I truly think that if you cook at all and do not have one you should pop out and fetch one post haste. Just don't forget to check for the divots!