Finding joy in the dishes

There are two types of people in the world: those who hate doing the dishes and those who are happy to take on the task. I am the former, and often decide what to make for dinner based on how many items will need to be washed afterward, and whether those pans and dishes can be washed in the dishwasher. Despite dreading this task, I detest going to bed with a dirty kitchen, so I begrudgingly make sure everything is cleaned up and put away before I retire for the evening. I love having a clean and tidy kitchen, but I do not enjoy the process of getting to that state.

Then there are those people, better than I, who cheerfully approach dish washing and genuinely seem to like the task. One of those is Dwight Garner, who penned a lovely reflection on the ‘quiet joy of doing the dishes‘ over at Saveur. He has contemplated getting a dishwasher but always decides against it at the last minute, preferring to scrub the dishes by hand. He says he does his best thinking in front of the sink, “far from a blinking cursor, my raw hands plunged into the soapy warmth.” While there can be a contemplative zen in the repeated steps of soaking, scrubbing, rinsing, and drying, that state usually eludes me.

Garner provides several literary references that support his viewpoint alongside others that align more with my thoughts on the subject. George Orwell was no fan of housecleaning, saying that “If our methods of making war had kept pace with our methods of keeping house, we should just be about on the verge of discovering gunpowder.” This was in a time before dishwashers were available to the masses; he likely would be pleased with that development. Personally, I am waiting for robots that will take care of the task, like Rosie from the Jetsons. I don’t desire AI that writes poetry, I lust for technology that does the dishes. My world for a Roomba that not only scrubs the pots and pans but also wipes the countertop and puts everything away. I’ll find another way to enter a meditative state.