I was consistently the one in charge of kitchen duty for eight years. From the age of eight till about when I was sixteen/seventeen years of age, it was my sole duty to wash the dishes. And it was a trying job. More than trying to say the least. And for those who may think there’s nothing to it, I’ll start by saying that we’re a family of seven. Dad, Mom and the five of us. Plus a few years when we had as many as three cousins living with us bringing it to ten people at home.
It should have been easy. There was nothing to it. Just wash the dish you use when you’re done eating. Except, of course, my Mom and Dad. I could do their dishes for them, no worries. But what about the rest? I didn’t reckon it was a difficult job since you had just your dish to wash but for those years and till now, the policy hasn’t been successfully implemented.
Like I said, we’re a large family so it was necessary to have a lot of dishware. At least that’s what I thought then. Gifts of dishware from when my parents got married plus the ones gathered from several ceremonies over the years that came in as either gifts or souvenirs, were all there. And so, I did something during my “regime” of being in charge of the dishes. I counted the exact number of people at home. Flat dishes and bowl dishes together and placed them on the dish rack, carrying the extraneous dishes to the pantry. This meant that everyone had their dishes and so once you used yours, you had no alternative than washing it if you wanted to eat the next meal.
I realized that the reason dishes were piling to the high heavens for me every day was because of the abundance of dishware in the rack. So inhabitants of the house would just keep using more and more. But this was a sure plan so that everyone would be responsible for their dish. It worked. For a while. I can’t remember when it changed. Oh, I do! We had Christmas visitors and we had to bring out more dishes from the pantry. But when the visitors left, Mom felt that the kitchen had more life with some more plates added to the rack. Everyone concurred and that was the end of that.
For, a large African family that has tendencies to host large gatherings or maybe just expect an influx of visitors from time to time, having a large amount of dishware is necessary. If not kept in the dish rack which would look rather tacky when it’s in abundance, it could just be kept in the pantry or somewhere safe. But frankly, if you’re living alone or you don’t have the space for it, I don’t see the need to keep so much.
Personally, in my own space, I would love to have just the necessities. It reduces the cluster of dishes in your space and imbues you with a sense of responsibility. I know that I have a few plates and bowls and cutlery for myself and maybe if a friend or two comes over. Makes me more accountable for my stuff.
It’s been some years since I relinquished dishwashing duty to my younger sister and I wasn’t surprised to see that things are still run the same way. Came back home to meet even more dishes added to the rack and more on the sides. Hearing my little sister complain that she doesn’t know what’s so hard in washing your dishes amused me to no end. In my country, we’d say, “This life na turn by turn,” which simply means that everyone will go through the same stuff eventually. I hope she can devise her own means to tackle it till she hands it over to the next person.
It’s not just about my minimalist tendencies when I say it’s just convenient for everyone, to have fewer dishes. But maybe once my family gets to see my place and how it’s run, they’d implement it. Or maybe that’s wishful thinking on my part. Lol.
Images are mine.
