(160) Common sense/ upbringing 20

Have you come across folks who could use a spoon to take condense milk for a drink, then dip the same spoon into the Milo bottle? If you are manning a pantry, you would notice the shelf life of both the Milo and the condensed milk would be rather short.


Ever wonder if such a person were brought up by a string of maids or nannies who did everything for them? It is funny that things are often not what you or I imagine them to be! I have a friend called Mina. She has never hired a maid in her entire married life. As she works from home, she looks after her own children. While her daughter was in charged of washing dishes, they placed the trash can on the ground next to the sink. Generally the kitchen, sink, dishes and other pieces of furniture are clean. But, If you bend down and look closely at the wall above the trash can, you would notice the many blobs of different colour fluid all dried up. I could not imagine how the dirt got there. So after one meal I stayed behind to watch the washing up.


Child number two brought in stacks of dishes. Child number three wiped down the table surface with soap, also the stove. Our beautiful and experienced dish washer simply threw whatever, solid or liquid, into the trash can. She did not bend down, neither did she really take a good aim. Whether the left over hit the floor, the trash can or the wall, she hardly noticed. Of course the dish washing occurred at a terrific pace. Right after she finished, child number two came with a mop and pushed it around systematically ending at the door to the wet kitchen. Mom came in and ordered a second round of mopping because the floor was still sticky. Of course the floor became sticky, our speed champion dish washer dropped many blobs of oily and sticky sauces near the sink. In came the mop and distributed the same all over the kitchen floor. But because mom ordered a second round of cleaning, child number three cleverly added a few drops of dish detergent into the pail of clean water. After a mop traveling at top speed, the kitchen is pronounced clean.


This is many years later. Our beautiful dish washer is of marriageable age. I wonder if she will run her future kitchen the same way?

Note added in 2012, she is recently married. What wouldn't I give to contrive a visit to her marital kitchen! Sad to say, it is easier said than done!

Note 2 in 2020 she now owns a music college. She is the happy mother of an infant girl. Her dad recently passed on.



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