THE JOY OF CHRISTMAS COOKING & THE POLITICS OF DISH WASHING AFTERWARDS
As l am sitting here and writing this, l am just laughing because I think this is probably the most funny Christmas story ever. Some may find this piece silly but if you’re black and an African family person you already know why l would consider this funny. I’m talking about the politics of Christmas dishwashing chores.
If you have ever spent Christmas with your family honestly the dishes and cooking fights are a real deal. This is more so if you are a woman. I do not wish to take away from the fact that Christmas is so amazing and spending it with family is the best.
I spent most of my best Christmases at my Uncle and Aunt‘s place in Greencroft Harare. There, the routine for every year was that on the 24th l would spend the Christmas Eve night with my Aunty Sthembile cooking, making amazing dishes. I can say that she is the reason why till today l can stand in that kitchen and make cool dishes. She did a great job teaching me how to cook. On the 25th we would have dinner with many dishes made from different homes by other relatives. Sometimes the food would be traditional with a mix of European. These days simply rocked!
However the problem would come when people were done eating and it was time to clean. Because In my culture young people do all the work whilst our elders are resting, it would be up to the younger women to engage in these ‘fights’. I mean, who really likes doing the dishes? I haven’t met a single person who likes to stand on that kitchen sink and start cleaning them dishes especially when their stomach is full.
This is why I believe even this Christmas in most households people would still be pushing each other on who has to clean what after eating. Even if it doesn’t take that much time it’s still isn’t most people’s favourite chore.
So the dishes problem is nothing but just something to joke about because at the end of the day what matters is the positive vibes and good food on that day. Isn’t it? Therefore we can forget about them dishes and see them the next day. Ho ho ho…
Let me know how you deal with this dish cleaning drama in your household this Christmas in the comments section below. Merry Christmas to you and yours!
