By Don Hill
Now on several occasions, I have mentioned that Mary is a great cook, which works in our house because I am a great eater.
According to Mary, there is only one thing that could be improved: The kitchen. We moved into our condo several years ago, which is just the right size for us except Mary wishes the kitchen was bigger. It could be that our kitchen in the old place was much larger. I think in the real estate business, this one is referred to as a one-butt kitchen.
No matter, Mary makes the most of it. She shoos me out most of the time. “You’re in my way!” seems to be what I get any time I invade her space in the kitchen.
On some occasions, I can be the sous chef. (Yes, I spelled it right) I think that is French for under-chef. It’s like watching the chefs on TV. Everything is already measured out and set in place, so the chef only adds it to the mixture. That’s because the sous chef did it beforehand. In my case, I get to chop up stuff, maybe peel something or reach up to get something.
Now I’m not complaining; however, I do like to get involved. You see, I was on my own for 31 years before I got Mary. During that time, I did some of my own cooking. She always remembers when I had her over to my bachelor pad and I served Cornish hens for dinner. Naturally, she thought I would be doing all of the cooking in married life.
It’s not the cooking she sometimes complains about, but it is the fact that for the last 60 years, she has had to figure out the menu for the day. Since I like everything, she has given up on asking me what I want. After I mutter around a bit, she says, “Never mind. I’ll come up with something.” And it’s always good.
Now, there is one thing I get to do. We have come up with a compromise. She cooks, and I clean up and do the dishes. Does that seem fair? And it is not just tossing them in a machine. No, we have never had a dishwasher, never felt we needed one. After all, Mary needs to get in her Jacuzzi tub with her glass of wine and candles. I checked and found that it was handwritten in our marriage license.
So, guys, I’m sorry if I stirred up anything in your household, but when a feller likes to eat like I do, you’ve just got to give a little.
Don Hill is a resident of Seymour and has served as a volunteer at Southern Indiana Center for the Arts for more than a quarter of a century. Send comments to [email protected].
