People think cutting meat is easy. Grab a knife, hack away, and call it dinner. After working as a butcher for years, I can tell you that’s how you end up with uneven steaks, wasted meat, and a knife that’s somehow dull after five minutes.

It’s funny what people consider “basic.” I always figured knowing how to trim a roast, break down a chicken, or slice against the grain was just normal stuff. Turns out it isn’t.

You can watch someone spend forty grand on a pickup truck, then absolutely butcher a pork loin. Humanity has a talent for prioritizing the wrong skills.

Working as a butcher taught me a lot more than where the cuts come from. You learn how to use a knife properly, how to waste as little as possible, and how much difference a little technique makes. Most people have never had anyone show them. They just wing it and hope for the best.

These days, it’s one of those skills that’s quietly disappearing. People buy everything pre-cut, pre-trimmed, and vacuum sealed. Convenient? Sure. But knowing how to do it yourself is still worth something.

It’s one of those things I never thought twice about until I realized most people don’t know how. Funny how the jobs you used to do end up teaching you skills you don’t appreciate until years later.