One bowl on the bench too many!

I thought I would share a story about what some mealtimes are like around here, tonight’s one in particular 🙂

I don’t know about anyone else but the chances are if you own chooks and have a garden you have one area of the bench that houses bowl or containers. One for compost, one for the chook scraps, one for eggshells to go on different parts of the garden. That’s what we have anyhow. This past few months I have had a few kitchen disasters at meal times and Roger teases me I am becoming “doddery” at 55. After 8 years of rarely venturing in the kitchen if I am cooking, this past fortnight he has been coming in – asking if I need help, stirring, hovering…. secretly supervising. We have had the odd little tiff about him changing temperatures, turning stuff off, interfering.

So, tonight I am making cold meat and salad. The compost bowl is full so I get another one out of my pot cupboard. I wash and prepare food on one side of the kitchen. Eggs and potatoes are ready so I get what I need all grated and chopped on a board and move to the other side, call Roger to cut some meat. He comes out, chats away while we have our backs to each other. I pile everything on plates – baby spinach, grated beetroot, grated carrot, sunflower seeds, red onion, tomato, cheese and pickled onions, peppers in olive oil.

He asks me “Do you want garlic on the salad?” We don’t ever but “Ok, whatever” I said not thinking much about it. So I mash the potato, shell the eggs, put dressing and chutney on – still waiting on the meat. I turn around and there is Roger doubled over, laughing to himself – he has the giggles. Roger’s giggling always makes me laugh because he is a silent giggler. I giggle loudly, he doesn’t make a sound.

“What’s so funny?” I say, wondering if I did something really stupid.

He then tells me “I was trying to help you with the salad” (like I can’t really handle salad) “I chopped the garlic really fine and sprinkled it over, then chopped up a few veges that were on the bench. Added them all to this bowl here 🙂 🙂 Then I noticed some red onion skin and took it out and put it in the compost bowl. Then I noticed an onion end and took that out too thinking Geez, she needs to wear her glasses when she’s cooking, but I wasn’t going to say anything! and put that in the compost too. Then I came across the potato peels in the bottom and thought What the hell has she done here?!! Then I realised you had made it over there and this is the compost” And by now he’s doubled over again, giggling lots (but very quietly).

The mind boggles at what mealtimes here will be like in 30 years time, when we maybe are “doddery”.