The unspoken rules of the kitchen

First let me get this straight: My husband is an EXTREMELY helpful person to have around the kitchen. However the problem arises when he doesn't understand the unspoken dynamics that determine crtical operations of a kitchen.

For example, when one lowers the stove and turns away from a simmering pot of contents, it is known amongst regular kitchen experts that the said contents can continue to cook without anyone needing to constantly stir. In fact it's not just in the kitchen that it is considered rude if you go around stirring someone else's pot!

When more than one person is preparing food in the kitchen, there is a silent 'first come first serve' tenet while using the cutting board, blender or burners. You cannnot simply move / remove the first cook's dish and begin your own, any more than you could walk into the living room and switch TV channels (ahhh... but that's another rant).

Let's also not forget that there can only be ONE head cook. Juggling can be done by jugglers, bartenders and mothers of young children, the kitchen is not the place to showcase your roti flippng skills and we are definitelty not Italian pizza makers.

Ladies, you know what I'm talking about. Gentlemen, we are delighted that some of you are choosing to move with the times, help your spouses or pursue a new passion, but let's face it: for most of you this is new territory like any trip into the unchartered it would help if learned the rules.

Or asked your wife.

Out with the old

Ok, here it is... another New year, another resolution.

This year I've gotten older. All my life I've waited for to "grow up", and as of 2005, it's finally happened. Tension headaches, anxiety attackes, psychosomatic ashtma and writer's (near) burnout.

Congratulations Vidya! You are now an adult.

So now that I'm in-charge of my life and doing such a bang-up job of it, this year's resolution is to be more adult-like and less of a granny.

My resolutions in a nutshell are:

1. Thou shalt write a daily blog: I have views, I am a writer. The two shall meet.
2. Thou shalt move thy ass: The theme of the year is "fitness". Yoga, Walking, gymming,
3. Thou shalt spring clean thy God-given Talents: Tanjore Painting, My Vocals, My Guitar.
4. Thou shalt write like there is no tomorrow: No more moaning over ideas that amount to nothing more than a synopsis
5. Thou shalt chill: Dirty dishes are not the end of the world. Hubby blowing 1000 rupees a month on dvds is no big deal. Life is still good even if there is a pile of dirty, soggy, smelly laundry at end of the rainy season.

And last and biggest of all.

6. Thou shalt remember thy life is full of blessings and only getting better.