Dishwasher and Proud Of It!

You may wonder how I wound up with the duties of dishwasher/jack-of-all-random-kitchen-helping-activities. Let me tell you, it’s not as unglamorous and grueling as it may sound. Think about it, I’ve got it made, I get fed the most fabulous meals all.the.time. Who wouldn’t want that? Count me in, sign me up. I waited my whole life to find someone who values good food as much, if not more, than me.

For us, cooking is our element, it makes our abode a home. And for Jeffrey, culinary adventure is the norm. I call the kitchen Jeffrey’s Test Kitchen, or JTK (which funny enough--are also his initials). As executive chef of our house, Jeffrey typically picks out menu items, and I do a sprinkling of ideas to keep him in check. We use a dry erase board to jot down the week’s dishes. I recommend this to all home chefs out there—it keeps you reminded of your culinary plans as the week progresses and work and life swirl about.

When it’s cooking time Jeffrey will get us started, and the prep begins. I take part in chopping and dicing, getting out pots and pans, implements, keeping the dog out of the trash, and of course – the dishwashing. Yes, we do have a dishwashing machine. However as we prep, various implements need to be re-used or simply cannot withstand the torturous environment thrust upon by the dishwasher; so I wash. This works out great. For me, I love to take part in cooking, but I also have some sort of wacky notion of dishwashing as a form of Zen practice. (Note to all Zen Buddhists out there, I do realize that surely anything one does in life can be a Zen practice, for me, it’s dishwashing. For my mom it’s flossing….er, yeah…you get the idea.)

So here I am, finding enlightenment with dishpan hands. Go figure. This arrangement works for both of us. Jeffrey simply hates to do dishes, he’d rather cook. This is not to say he doesn’t wash dishes and I never cook. But when the proverbial rubber hits the road (or the skillet hits the heat), we know our places' in the JTK. The results are usually delicious, hearty, eye-pleasing; and at the very least…good eats. I think I have the winning-end of the bargain, what do you think?