Thursday, May 22, 2008

history and the homemaker


Kitchens of the past were so sparsely furnished. There was limited counter space, the energy to create wonderful meals from scratch was provided by the homemaker and not from a machine that we conveniently plug in. We are so lucky! One house I lived in was built in 1830, it still had a lacking kitchen--there was no place appropriate for a fridge. This was my favorite house, it had a certain romance about it. The kitchen was the hub of the house. Baked goods tasted best there. It was the only place I ever canned anything. I am grateful I don't have to do the infinite amount of chores women had to do 100 years ago, everything was work. But at the same time I wish we could all slow our pace and appreciate ourselves just a bit more. So here I sit at home with a beautiful kitchen stocked with my favorite dishes, appliances and food. No cow to milk, no butter to churn, no bread to bake... so why don't I feel like making dinner?
The above illustration is from "Bluberries for Sal" by Robert McCloskey.

0 comments: