The Kitchen Table
By Katherine Gould
| This column appeared in the March 25, 2005, issue of the Crescenta Valley Sun. |
The only thing I didn’t like about the house we just moved out of was the kitchen: it was separate
from the dining area and didn’t have room for a kitchen table.
from the dining area and didn’t have room for a kitchen table.
If I wanted to read the paper while my daughters cooked dinner, I had to sit in the dining area at the
one chair with a sight-line to the kitchen. If I was the one cooking, it was difficult to carry on a
conversation through the doorway. They ended up playing elsewhere. And the kitchen wasn’t big
enough for three.
one chair with a sight-line to the kitchen. If I was the one cooking, it was difficult to carry on a
conversation through the doorway. They ended up playing elsewhere. And the kitchen wasn’t big
enough for three.
When we started looking for a new place, we all decided that we wanted a kitchen table. A place for
one person to sit while another person cooked. A comfortable place to carry on conversations
surrounded by the warm smell of muffins baking or pancakes sizzling.
one person to sit while another person cooked. A comfortable place to carry on conversations
surrounded by the warm smell of muffins baking or pancakes sizzling.
I think all families need a place like this. A place to throw down the purse and the backpack and talk
about the day, without worrying about manners the way you must at the dinner table. A place where a
glass of juice is as close as advice and opinion and sympathy. A place without a divider between
family members.
about the day, without worrying about manners the way you must at the dinner table. A place where a
glass of juice is as close as advice and opinion and sympathy. A place without a divider between
family members.
So many places in our lives have dividers. In the car, the kids sit in the back seat, the adults in the
front. In the living room, the adults get the comfy chairs, the kids get the sofa.
front. In the living room, the adults get the comfy chairs, the kids get the sofa.
But in the kitchen, we’re all together as a family. And the time spent chopping vegetables or mixing
dough or blending marinades develops trust and comfort. It becomes a time to talk about what’s going
on in your life, what you’re worried about, what you’re excited about, and what you can do about
that girl in your class you don’t like.
dough or blending marinades develops trust and comfort. It becomes a time to talk about what’s going
on in your life, what you’re worried about, what you’re excited about, and what you can do about
that girl in your class you don’t like.
It is the place where you can truly experience that sought-after moment we call “quality time.”
Almost everything about our new apartment is smaller than the house we left, but it has room for a
kitchen table. And this week, my daughters and I have gathered around the kitchen table to eat our
take-out Chinese food (we’ll cook next week when we’ve unpacked a bit more). And after dinner, we
cleared the dishes, wiped off the table, and dealt game after game of crazy eights.
kitchen table. And this week, my daughters and I have gathered around the kitchen table to eat our
take-out Chinese food (we’ll cook next week when we’ve unpacked a bit more). And after dinner, we
cleared the dishes, wiped off the table, and dealt game after game of crazy eights.
We talked and we played and everyone won at least one game. We pushed the cards aside long
enough for dessert, and played long after we should have, and I was grateful for a kitchen table, the
heart of our little home.
enough for dessert, and played long after we should have, and I was grateful for a kitchen table, the
heart of our little home.
Katherine Gould