From potatoes to pillow-cases: my preferences

When I wrote about the peaches yesterday, I was thinking how pleasant some of our household chores are. Preserving peaches is a lot of work, requires time and patience, but it’s enjoyable too. I grant you, it’s only once a year and it’s an optional activity, one that we do purely out of preference and not of necessity – unlike our foremothers who pickled and preserved to keep their families fed over the winter.

The subject of housework is often politicized but sometimes I think about it just as work that has to be done. Or not done. So often, not done.

I divide housework into categories – things that I like doing, things that I don’t.

I like cooking. I’m pretty good at it and I complain about having to do it only when I get into a rut and can’t think of anything interesting to cook for dinner. I’m creative in the kitchen and usually don’t use recipes although I read cookbooks and cooking websites because they inspire me and give me ideas.

When we were in Florence a few years ago, I bought a small pretty cookbook that’s entirely made up of potato recipes. How could anyone resist that? It’s where I found a recipe that’s become one of my signature dishes and one that’s open to creativity and imagination. It’s Potato Caponata and it looks like this:

The first time I made potato caponata, I served it with this chicken:

I do use a recipe for old-fashioned pies – and I use old-fashioned recipes, my mother’s recipes from the ’50s. Lemon pie and banana cream pie are two of my specialties – I think there’s one of each here:

It's always popular.

Cooking can be terrible drudgery for people who a) don’t like it and b) who are obligated to do it every day, several times a day, for children or other people who depend on food being served to them. I’m aware that I’m fortunate to cook according to my own preferences and under no pressure at all.

And the other things around the house? I like ironing but there’s not much ironing to do any more. I particularly like – am I crazy? – ironing men’s dress shirts.

I don’t iron pillow-cases – unless they really need it – but I have a very specific way the pillow-cases have to be folded and it’s one of the few things I’m a little obsessive about. I like them folded in half, bottom to top. Then folded again, middle to hem. Then I like each side folded in, each side brought to the middle. Then, folded like closing a book. It ends up about the same size as a book too.

I don’t mind making the bed – or even changing the bed. I’m okay with doing the laundry, especially hanging the clothes outside on the line. (Full disclosure: Dan has pretty much taken over all laundry duties.)

I’m naming things that I like doing because I don’t even want to think about what I don’t like doing. I must be honest though.

Cleaning. I don’t like cleaning. I don’t like vacuuming or dusting or sweeping or scrubbing. I very much like all those things once they’re done – I love a clean living space – but I sure don’t like doing them.

There are many people – and I’m one of them – who claim not to be affected by TV advertising. The advertising industry knows better though. They aim for a certain audience and they know how to get that audience’s attention.

I knew this to be true the day I realized that I was glued to the TV for every ad that came on that told me how I could instantly clean my house with this new miracle cleanser/tool/machine. Get me that! was my reaction. Yes indeed, I was the target audience.

After all this time, I don’t expect to change. My best bet for having a clean house is managing a trade-off – I’ll do some ironing if you’ll sweep the stairs. I’ll change the bed if you’ll bring the clothes in off the line. Don’t worry about the pillow-cases though. I’ll fold them.