Pocket Knives, Picnics, and the Swiss

There's a reason that Switzerland is known for both pocket knives and cheese. Abundant with alpine meadows, picturesque landscapes, and breathtaking vistas, Switzerland is a country made for the picnic. Indeed, the inventive (and gadget-loving) Swiss are masters of the picnic, and the Swiss Army Knife is the master's tool of choice.

The consummate picnic aid - whether it be for slicing cheese or bread, or uncorking a bottle of Ticino Merlot or Fendant, the combination knife, corkscrew, bottle-opener, and can-opener fills every outdoor dining need with extemporaneous grace. Keep one with you at all times, and be prepared whenever the picnic mood may strike.

Invented in 1884 by Karl Elsener, it is regarded among the most well-designed products in the world (see a Swiss Army Knife on display in the New York Museum of Modern Art). Its utility seems miraculously engineered. Even we grown-ups can't help but marvel at the magnifying glass on some models: the time-honored childhood tool for dealing with yet another picnic fixture - the ant.

If you have any experiences you'd like to share, write us at info@dinnerdirect.com.

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