Opinel Knives and a Strange Trip to Starbucks

Per the wifes request I broke my usual self-imposed restrictions and paid something over $4 for a cup of coffee for her. (Technically Tea, but that's really neither here nor there).

I was out and about, a simple trip to try and pick up some DVD-Rs and made the stop for her. No big deal (aside from going against my very nature to pay that much for a non-alcoholic drink, but its a holiday).

As I'm waiting I start looking around at the other people who visit Starbucks on Thanksgiving, complete with their coffees and laptops wondering if that's what its like all the time?

Out of nowhere, some older gentleman begins talking to me at random.
For some reason, this has a tendency to happen to me quite frequently, though usually its some drunk guy at the local bar. It's never anything generic or passive like "how's the weather"...its usually much more random and involving. So while this is somewhat odd, it's not peculiar. I'm not quite sure what started the conversation now, but something intrigued me enough to sit down with him while I was waiting.

We talked for a bit, about the state of the world and whatever we felt was important in life. (Somewhere in the midst of this, my wife's order came out.)

As I'm about halfway or so into her Chai tea, this guy asks me if I have a keychain. Well, sure...I have keys, key rings, and those annoying plastic tabs to get me discounts at various stores; that counts, right?

So, out of nowhere, this guy gives me a Opinel #7 folding knife. Pointing out to me that the blades under 4 inches and therefore perfectly legal to carry on me.

I know they're made in France, and he seems to have had it for a while. Light wood, lock ring at the top, carbon steel blade. I don't see any date codes anywhere, so I'm not sure how old it is. I do know that they're still in production.

So we talked a bit more, the knife just came up out of nowhere, was given to me. That's about it.

We talked a bit more, as I ordered a second Chai, one that I could take home to the wife, and went on my way.

So, to you "LizardSkin" (as he introduced himself), thank you for the Opinel, the good conversation, and perhaps my strangest trip to a coffee shop yet.

Very nice! A great knife too!

And with that piece of physical evidence, you've unknowingly become the prime suspect in the tragic stabbing of so-and-so.

ShaneC said:

As I'm waiting I start looking around at the other people who visit Starbucks on Thanksgiving, complete with their coffees and laptops wondering if that's what its like all the time?

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Great story about the knife. You should PIF something out to keep your Karma in balance.

Yes, that's what Starbucks is like all the time.

I stop at Starbucks every day on the way to work, and they fill up my 32-oz Thermos and only charge me for a 20-oz coffee.

There are always people there on laptops (they have Wi-Fi,) teenagers hanging out while playing hooky from school. Businessmen on their way to meetings. Housewives gossiping and talking about their kids.

I don't get the "hanging out" part of Starbucks, but some people thrive on it.

TstebinsB said:

And with that piece of physical evidence, you've unknowingly become the prime suspect in the tragic stabbing of so-and-so.

Click to expand...

Opinel's are great knives, they were a favourite of mine back when I was in Scouts 12-14 years ago. I think that they came in both carbon steel and stainless models. I'm 99% sure that they're still in production. If you havn't noticed when the knive is open you can twist the metal collar to lock the blade in the open position.

For extra wierd points my dad's name is Shane and our last name starts with C.
He is also a "crazy magnet" and had a friend who refered to himself as a lizard king, not the lizard king, that's taken, merely a lizard king... He called my dad Zeus and my mom Hera. But he's dead now.

This very thing happened to me once, but I was at a Seattle’s Best Coffee shop and a strange man calling himself Leather face randomly started talking to me. Half way through my Hot Cocoa he reaches in his Jacket pocket and pulls out a Chinese Type 69 RPG. I was honored to have it, but It wouldn't fit on my key ring!

In all seriousness that is a neat story and a nice knife!