"Kind of Sad": A Chef's Thoughts on Kendall Jenner's Cucumber-Cutting Technique
Sorry, but I need to talk about Kendall Jenner cutting produce. Last Friday, a clip of the reality TV star making herself a yummy snack — à la carte sliced cucumber — went viral because clearly, this woman has never cooked a meal.
Said clip, taken from the latest episode of The Kardashians on Hulu, ruthlessly exposes Jenner's lack of knife skills. Instead of securing the gherkin by its girth and slicing it into circular pieces, she gingerly holds the tip of the fruit while attempting to sliver the thing into some sort of meatless carpaccio.
The video is totally ridiculous, but I'm not even mad about it! Netizens have been blasting Jenner's cucumber-cutting attempt as some tragic byproduct of her wealth and privilege, but honestly, calm down — there are more pressing things happening in the world than a girl trying to get her crudité on. (Then again, I didn't do my own laundry until college...)
It was easy for me to laugh off the video, but I'm no Eric Ripert. I wondered if actual chefs were horrified and perhaps disheartened by the reality TV star's lack of culinary skill. So I hit up Nir Sarig, chef and founder of forthcoming restaurant ETI, for his thoughts (a quick scroll through his Instagram provides plentiful evidence of his chopping know-how).
"I put some thought into this and I went through a range of emotions," he said. "But where I ended up is that Kendall not being able to cut a cucumber is kind of sad. It's so fun to cook for yourself!" ("Good for her for trying," Sarig added.)
In case you're unclear on proper cucumber-cutting technique: "To properly and safely cut a cucumber, you first need to know what you want to do with it," Sarig clarified. "You can dice it small for a tabbouleh, you can cut it diagonally for a niçoise, you can slice it into strips for a crudité. But yeah, it's important to hold the cucumber by the long end while you chop far away from your hand."
