Kitchen Bonding Time

My roommate and I usually share meals, but this evening he wasn't feeling well so we made separate things.  What I was cooking (in the microwave) was going to take longer, so he sat in the kitchen with me to keep me company. For some reason, this was a signal for all four indoor cats to come into the kitchen as well. They roamed around us and meowed questioningly from time to time. They don't seem to like it when we change the routines.

I really enjoyed this though. I wish our kitchen was more comfortable, because I do enjoy it being the hub of the house. When a large portion of the household is in the kitchen, things just feel very relaxed and secure for me. That's actually a bit strange considering I didn't grow up with that. My mother was a good cook, but didn't want anyone in the kitchen with her. My grandmother hated to cook, and felt frustrated if anyone else was in the kitchen when she was in there.

As an adult though, I think some of my happiest memories are sitting in the kitchen with my friends. My bff and I do that at her house and we did it a lot in college as well (when we would have the table in the kitchen. Sometimes it was moved out into the living room area). My roommate and I sometimes prepare meals together, and I always enjoy that. It's a very bonding experience. It's calming, relaxed, and normal, but somehow also very significant.

This shouldn't be surprising really. After all, most of human history has revolved around food hunting, gathering, storing, or preparation. Our brains probably produce happy chemicals when we do these activities together.  Coexistence and cooperation are vital to our survival. And sitting around a kitchen as food is being prepared is probably the closest many people get to sitting around a campfire as the leg of dinosaur is being cooked.

There was a point tonight when I was in the middle of finishing my dish and my roommate was petting the boy cat as he sat in a basket that we started making up a song about the cats needing to be in the kitchen when we are. As I was adding some lyrics, I realized this evening in the kitchen would be one of those memories I would always keep with me. One of the very, very good memories.