The Dapper Dad

Growing up I always wanted a Swiss Army knife. Not the simple kind with the blade, toothpick and tweezers. I wanted the one with everything, even what I would never use. I did eventually get one, but not until I was much older. When the family used to go hiking in the Dolomites in Northern Italy we were equipped with an all purpose Opinel knife. Like many French blades it is indestructible (and believe me, my complimenting the French is almost unheard of). I still have it and never needed to do much more than add some lubricant to make sure it opened and closed as smoothly as it did the first day.

Even growing up in a city all my friends and I walked around with a good pocketknife. It was a tool just in case you needed to cut, scrape or loosen anything. Today, your kid will get sent home with a note if they are “caught” carrying one in school because it is no longer considered a tool, but a weapon. The kids are told as much and so the pocketknife in their mind is indeed a weapon. But I digress. For me a pocketknife remains a coveted object that I may not use on a daily basis, but it is there just in case, much like the flashlight in your kitchen drawer.

Of the couple of pocketknives that I do own, other than my vintage Opinel, there is one that I love dearly. There are many ways to call it, but the most common denomination in English is the sailor’s knife. Made with fisherman and sailors in mind, it usually has a hole or loop at the end of the handle meant for handing it from your belt. The shape of the blade, called “sheep’s foot”, was the only one allowed on board boats because there was less danger of its round end causing serious injuries if fights occurred amongst the often-rowdy sailors (as well as for the less romanticized safety reason of using a non-pointed blade in slippery conditions and in choppy waters). Over the years a Marlinspike was added to integrate a useful knot-handling tool and leather hole puncture. There are numerous companies that make such blades, some more traditional (L’Armor Le Sabot) and some more high-tech (Spyderco). There are many other well-known blade manufacturers that have produced a sailor knife at one time or another such as Camillus, Buck, Case, Schrade and Ka-Bar among others. They are just as useful on land as at sea even if you are not hunting Moby Dick and need to cut some fishing line or loosen a wet knot while sailing. When my son is old enough I will enjoy teaching him how to handle one of mine properly and hopefully he will hand mine down in turn.

The Germans and Austrians have their Radler, the French their Panaché, the Spanish have their la Clara, the Mexicans their Cerveza preparada and the Brits their Shandy. Beer and lemonade (ginger beer, grenadine etc.) in its many iterations is perfect this time of year. A perfect match when it is hot outside and you want something to cool you down and satisfy your taste buds without completely knocking you out while you work grill in the sizzle and haze.

My favorite “origins” story is the birth of Radler (Cyclist), attributed to Franz Xaver Kugler, a Bavarian railroad worker turned innkeeper who opened a tavern, toward the end of the nineteenth century, in Deisenhofen up in the mountains near Munich. When, after World War I, bicycle riding became a popular pastime in Germany, Kugler arranged for the construction of a bike trail through the forest, from Munich straight to his establishment only to find himself overrun in June 1922 by some 13,000 cyclists demanding beer. Having almost depleted his stock of brew, Kugler had to “cut” the beer with lemon soda to make due. He presented it to his thirsty customers as a special concoction he had invented to ensure that they made it safely back down the mountain riding their bicycles. Thus was born the Radler.

One mixture that few people have heard of is combining Peroni and Gazzosa (Italian lemon soda). You will find that the light bitterness of the Peroni mixes well with the lemon soda. In Italy it has become harder to find places that serve this summer refreshment, but if you find a bar tender who knows his stuff ask for a Panacea. I think the name says it all. Sit back, wipe your brow and enjoy.

I was recently reintroduced to a watch that I always flirted with, but was never able to ask out on that date. It just never felt right and it’s hard to explain why. Until I was invited to a recent party by Robert Verdi, celebrity fashion icon extraordinaire, and one of the products that he was featuring was a Skagen watch. I am a big fan of Scandinavian design and I was struck by the latest design from the Danish duo that established the company when the moved to the United States in 1987. The principal of achieving great design without breaking the bank is certainly true in the case of the Skagen Titanium collection. The look is a combination of modern elegance that works just as well as a casual wear watch. It is extremely lightweight and wears well in most occasions. I am glad that I was able to see Skagen’s latest collection and recommend it to anyone looking for a versatile and affordable watch to include in their regular rotation.