Friday, November 24, 2017

The Day After the Feast

Whew!  It must be old age.  Every year it seems it takes me longer to do less cooking.  Or, perhaps I have just learned how to space everything out so that it seems longer.  All the prep work.  I definitely need a shopper and a sous chef.  Anyway, I enjoyed the meal and I hope everyone else did too.

Recently, I have been looking at new construction in my area and all the homes and condos have the very much desired 'open floor plan'.  Now, I too have an open floor plan, but my kitchen is back in the corner and while it is visible from the front entry, it is not visible from the living areas, if that makes sense.  So, I took some photos of my home before and after the meal. 

Here is my view as I sit and eat:
And here is the view from the other end of the table:
That wall in the above photo separates the dining room from the kitchen.  I was told by a rep at one of the homes that no one wants a formal dining room anymore and that the china cabinet, which would have no place to go in the new home, was not something anyone used anymore either. 

Now imagine that the wall disappears.  My view stays the same.  Everyone else?  Well, behind the wall is the stovetop:
Doesn't look too bad cause the pans are already in the dishwasher.  (and yes, that is a TARDIS cookie jar) On the other counter is this:
I forgot to take a photo of the peninsula with all the hot food.  Now, I ask you:  'Would you want to look at this mess while you eat?'

I just do not get the fascination with a large open area with the TV, furniture for lounging, kitchen, a dining table and of course, the fireplace all in one room.  Who are these super neat cooks?   Or do they just order pizza?

I think I will keep my galley kitchen and peninsula.  Yes, you can't have everyone helping in the kitchen, but that has never been my problem, lol.  It is bad enough to know that you have to finish eating and then put leftovers in the fridge and do the dishes without having to look at the mess while you are eating.  OTOH, if it is only a pizza box....
Too much food?

10 comments:

  1. You would shudder in horror, but I used paper plates and plastic cups this year. And that was only to have a total of five people (including me, and no children). We even got some pre cut up winter squash. So this is what getting older is about...sigh. I don't understand a lot of things about what people want in a house today, but maybe in 10 years, it will all change (again). Too much food? I think it depends on who attends. Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com

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    1. Paper plates for dessert. And I purchased my Easter dessert at Costco this year. Just heating up my leftovers for lunch.

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  2. Looks delicious, and the table looks beautiful.

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  3. Looks good. I don't want a setup that's too open, but I don't want a formal dining room either. We never and I do mean never (not once in 14 years) have we used ours.

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    1. Mine is used all the time. There is no other dining area inside.

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  4. I too like a formal dining room. We don't have one but we have a formal dining area in an L shaped room. We eat all our meals at the dining table. No, I don't want to look at my messy kitchen whilst I am eating although I don't have a lot of choice as there is no door between the dining area and the kitchen. We had a friend, years ago, who put all her dirty dishes in the oven to hide them over night. She didn't have a dishwasher and nor do I. Your table does look beautiful.

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    1. I took what was the kitchen eating area and added it as part of the new kitchen when I remodeled. I stand in these new homes and shake my head. Looks nice when no one is actually using the kitchen, lol.

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  5. We have an open concept and it works well for us. Before we remodeled soon after we purchased the house, all the rooms - including the kitchen - felt small and closed off. I like being able to interact with everyone when I'm in the kitchen. One thing we did do though is to make the countertops step up so they were taller around the perimeter... that way the kitchen mess is out of the line of sight.

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  6. Most of the homes I have been in that have an "open" plan have some form of a bar partitioning off just enough to keep view of kitchen countertops to a minimum.

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  7. Your place looks great and while i don't have a formal dining room, I do have a dining space - where I have my china cabinet.

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