08: And The Kitchen Sink... Self Catering, and Supplies

What to bring? What to cook? Where on earth are the mixing bowls?! Enjoy delving into the very niches of our neuroses..

Are you the type of person who really enjoys cooking in other peoples’ kitchens? We’re not. Though it’s not a case of we particularly adore our own kitchen either. It’s a pokey, galley-style 70’s extension in our tiny rented house with zero ventilation and constantly groaning under the weight of everything it holds. We say bad things about it behind its back all the time –– and sometimes to its face, but in fairness it serves us well if we treat it well, like most kitchens. In our place, every millimetre of storage space earns its keep. We even have a ruler and a tape measure in the kitchen at all times to ensure if there’s a thumb and finger’s width going spare that it’s used. Our grandmothers would be proud, but also aghast at the amount of ‘stuff’. But at least we know where everything is, and it’s functional in its dysfunction. 

Though we travel a lot, we don’t necessarily enjoy the feeling of being out-of-sorts when cooking in a space that’s not familiar.

“Where does the tin foil live?” 

“No, I don’t want bowls, I need plates…” 

“If that’s the cutlery drawer, where are the utensils?”

“Oh *that’s* where the frying pans are.”

Everything feels like it’s a more laborious process when getting to know a new cooking space, like an awkward first date. Taking the time to get to know the inevitable intricacies and quirks. Quite a bit of fumbling and misstepping, but maybe even a spark might fly. Cooking is best when it’s comfortable and intuitive, not clunky, cumbrous and disorderly.