Spain /Spanish Question

Okay - this got me curious.

As it happens, my abuelito is from Spain, a little village just North of the Portuguese border, and yes - he was a 'grinder' - or knife sharpener. Kept his trade when he came to America - and made a good living keeping knives and scissors sharpened. He passed in the 70's so I sent a note to my Dad via my sis. To see if he remembered anything. (He's in his eighties... memory slipping.)

His reply - "chavatero" - Which may or may not be the word you heard. More importantly, he had a kind of wooden whistle, like a Pan Pipe that he would play. This whistle is a prized family possession. While doing some research on it, sis came across this link.

http://www.cubatours.info/2011/05/scissors-grinders.html?spref=fb

Which tells a bit more. Again - this is Cuba as opposed to Spain - but I know that my grandfather came to the states VIA Cuba - so it's plausible there is a similarity in the customs.

I don't know about the Spain slang, but the word for sharpening is "afilando" and the... guy who does the sharpening is an "afilador" (plural: afiladores). The street afiladores here in Mexico don't yell, they just blow a very sharp whistle.

I'm in the D.F. and some do yell, along with all the other bicycle vendors. Most of them are food vendors though- camotes, tamales, pan. etc. I'll ask my husband when he wakes up, his family is from Spain and maybe he remembers from visiting whether it was different.

Right - Afilador is correct.

http://www.simplespanishfood.com/2011/05/the-spanish-way-to-sharpen-a-knife-el-afilador.html

And my grandfather WAS a Galician, from Orense!