What was intended to be a refined foray into the world of lifestyle content—an intimate showcase of Meghan Markle’s effortless hosting skills—quickly devolved into an unintended tutorial on how not to use a knife.
Instead of inspiring viewers with graceful culinary expertise, Netflix’s With Love, Meghan became a spectacle for all the wrong reasons. And now, Shun Cutlery, the esteemed brand behind the Santoku knife featured in the show, seems to be hastily distancing itself from the entire ordeal as if trying to escape a self-inflicted PR nightmare. One can only assume that when Shun agreed to have their knife highlighted, they expected it to be handled with at least a semblance of skill.
Instead, audiences were treated to a kitchen disaster in real-time, with Meghan’s baffling approach to knife work taking center stage. From her awkward grip—so unnatural it looked as if her fingers were actively trying to flee her hand—to the way she clutched produce as if it had personally offended her, the demonstration left seasoned cooks and casual viewers alike cringing. "Can someone please teach her how to core a strawberry?" one exasperated viewer begged, while another quipped, "My seven-year-old can do it with a straw. Where’s his Netflix deal?"
Beyond the sheer ineptitude of the technique, the entire segment became an unexpected branding disaster for Shun. The company had likely envisioned a moment of prestige for their Santoku knife, an elegant display of its precision and craftsmanship. Instead, their finely honed blade was clutched like a medieval weapon in the hands of someone whose kitchen experience appeared dubious at best. And then there was the shameless product placement. Though the show was supposedly about warmth and hospitality, it didn’t take long for audiences to realize that the real star wasn’t a beautifully plated dish or a well-executed hosting tip—it was an attempt to sell a knife. "Meghan isn’t chopping an onion; she’s selling a knife," one unimpressed viewer noted. But if anything, the segment backfired. Rather than making Shun’s knife seem like a must-have culinary tool, it instead appeared to be an overpriced hazard in the hands of someone who had no business handling sharp objects.
Adding to the spectacle was Meghan’s questionable choice of kitchen attire. Who wears a full stack of rings while preparing food? Who selects an immaculate beige outfit to chop vegetables? And, most puzzling of all, who touches every single ingredient as if casting a spell? "She’s afraid that without her rings and spotless beige clothes, we’d see her for who she really is—just clueless Meghan in the kitchen," one particularly ruthless critic remarked. As collective secondhand embarrassment reached new heights, it became painfully clear that Meghan was entirely out of her depth. Knife skills don’t come naturally to everyone, of course, but this wasn’t just a matter of inexperience—it was a lack of authenticity. No amount of camera work or curation could disguise the fact that she had likely never wielded a paring knife before.
In a stroke of irony, Shun’s Santoku knife is traditionally praised for its mastery of three virtues: slicing, dicing, and chopping. Yet, in this particular case, the one thing it lacked was the presence of someone who knew how to use it. As backlash mounts, one has to wonder if Shun regrets ever allowing their product to be featured in With Love, Meghan, because at this rate, the only thing their knife is successfully cutting through is their own brand reputation.
