It seems we’re swinging towards an idea that in a really swanky place, you’ll get a good knife.
But still…why is that OK? Why don’t you get a knife which is of a piece with everything else, everywhere you go?
This happens with nothing else! Imagine if whenever you ordered scotch, it came in a plastic beaker. Everything else was perfectly acceptable, just that that style of whisky was in a cup that looks like toddlers use it for apple juice. And that was pretty commonplace, unless you went somewhere really upscale.
So, even in less fancy places, it seems weird that the costliest dish has the knife that’s so sub-par.