And speaking of things you find in a kitchen -- this morning I was reading some of the healthy foodie blogs I like to read, and someone was expounding on the benefits of a "kitchen work triangle." She recently bought a house with a U-shaped kitchen, after living with a galley kitchen for years, and apparently the new layout is much more efficient. I, myself, have sort of an L-shaped kitchen with an "i" next to it... (I just need to work in an "s" and an "a" so my kitchen will spell out Lisa... :))
I'd never heard of this "kitchen work triangle" thing, so I googled it and found this article on About.com. People have actually done ergonomic studies to suggest that ideally, the refrigerator, sink, and stove should form a triangle. And what's more, there are actual "principles" to adhere to with this work triangle idea:
- Each leg of the triangle should be between 4 and 9 feet
- The total of all three legs should be between 12 and 26 feet
- No obstructions (cabinets, islands, etc.) should intersect a leg of the work triangle
- Household traffic should not flow through the work triangle
Amazingly, my tiny little Li-shaped kitchen manages to meet these requirements (although just barely), which is good -- because, as the article says, "an efficient kitchen is typically a key point in having a happy life." Uhhh... what??? My kitchen layout dictates whether or not I have a happy life?? Really. The kitchen. If I have a triangle layout in my kitchen, I have a better chance of having a happy life. Forget about my family and friends and relationships and contentment and security and love and fun and adventure and chocolate (sorry Rachel -- chocolate post is coming soon, I promise! ;)) -- when you get right down to the basics, it's all about the kitchen. Wow... I've been waaaaaaay off...
Personally, I think it's more about coffee than the kitchen... well, as long as you don't use slightly off, possibly spoiled milk...
4 comments:
I've been drinking my coffee black every since I developed a major dislike to raw milk (not milk by-products such as cheese or ice cream). I drink my tea pretty my the same way, so I'm immune to spending gobs of money on speciality drinks.
Drinking it black with only a sweetener (natural or otherwise) is definitely an acquired taste.
When you think about it, you make coffee in the kitchen, right? So maybe it really is the most important place for happiness.
My word is "conic" - as in Harry Jr.?
G -- I'd love to develop that taste for black coffee -- fewer calories, less expensive, and I wouldn't care if I ran out of milk. Considering I didn't even LIKE coffee until I was about 25, perhaps there's still hope for me... :)
Aunt Carol -- You are absolutely right! I didn't even think about that. The kitchen is also the place where I keep my chocolate and bake cookies and cakes... I suppose it IS quite important in the search for happiness. :)
And I think it's funny how those verification words sometimes make a weird sort of sense... (Although not this time -- I got "grapsirl." :))
I gave up caffeine a year ago and I feel so much better for it now. Many less headaches. I do drink a lot of coffee though, just decafe and I would never drink milk in it that had gone off, I'd rather drink it black!
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