With a tongue as sharp as the knives he delivers, he ‘s been sharpening knives since he was 15 and can’t imagine doing anything else.
He lives on the south bank, but used to come to the capital almost every day (we haven’t seen him here for a long time), where he already has certain clients.
The last time we saw him was in Bairro Alto and, as he sipped an imperial and sharpened a knife, he began to share the stories and memories he has of this life.
Lisboa Secreta (LS): How many years have you been sharpening knives and sharpening scissors in Bairro Alto?
Manuel Loureiro (ML): Ui! I can’t even remember. For years! I’ve been doing this since I was 15, almost 45 years. But I’ve been coming here for maybe 25 years or more.
LS: Has the neighborhood changed much since then?
ML: A lot, of course. Before, it was really the women who owned the houses who lived here. Now it’s just “camones”. Four and five of us in the same apartment.
LS: Has your work changed much too? What do you get asked to do now?
ML: I used to do a lot more work, not least because I used to get umbrellas and there were more scissors. Now I still have two or three tailors, but it’s practically just knives.
LS: I’ve noticed that you like to drink an imperial while you work…
ML: Do you know why? The pistons start to run out of oil and the beer helps to oil them.
LS: There are fewer and fewer grinders in Lisbon…
ML: As far as I know, there are only three or four in the Lisbon/Almada area. Me, my brother and two other friends.
LS: What’s the secret of a good sharpener?
ML: It’s knowing how to grind. For example, knowing how to make a half cane, in other words, thinning the knife or the scissors.
LS: How much do you charge for sharpening a knife?
ML: It’s usually 2€/2.5€, but I always give the right customers a discount. And sometimes I’m also offered lunch. One hand washes the other.
LS: Can you think of any funny episodes?
ML: I’ll tell you a true story. I once gave a knife to a gypsy who then used it to cut someone else’s face. Because of drugs, you see. He said to me: soften the knife for me, Manel. I did and he cut the man’s face right off! True story. This happened in Bairro do Pica-Pau Amarelo, on the south bank.
LS: Bairro Alto is full of tourists. What do they say to you when they come to work?
ML: They take a thousand photos of me a day. I’ve already put a piece of paper saying “1 euro for each photo”, but they don’t pay. It would be nice if they did! So when I go to Belém, the “camones” don’t stop taking pictures.
LS: Apart from Bairro Alto and Belém, do you also visit other neighborhoods? Where do you prefer to work?
ML: I go all over the city: Bairro Alto, Madragoa, Mouraria, Alcântara… Tomorrow, for example, I’m going to the Fish Market, in Calçada da Ajuda, to sharpen the knives of the fishmongers. I prefer to work in the historic neighborhoods, where I’m better known and have more customers. For example, here in Bairro Alto, 50 sharpeners can pass by, but they only give me the knives.
LS: Can you imagine being a knife sharpener forever?
ML: Of course. I’m in charge here. I’m my own boss. And while other people go to the gym and have to pay, they still pay me to do my fitness, which is turning the wheel of the bike.
