The Importance of Kitchens

Whenever I think about cooking (which is often), I begin to think about creating the perfect kitchen. I lived in a house for two years that had little more than a hallway for a kitchen, but inevitably we were always sitting on the counters, on the floor, or the trashcan, taking up every inch of space, whether it was during a party on Saturday night, or 7pm on a Wednesday. Its amazing that so many architects, interior designers, and all the other important people that determine how we live in our own homes have overlooked the fact that the kitchen is by far the best room to hang out in. Its where all the action is. Hunter S. Thompson got it right when he set up his office in his kitchen in Woody Creek, Colorado. I've compiled a list of things I'd acquire for my kitchen if I were a richer man. But I'm not.

• A couch. I've always dreamed of comfortable seating in my kitchen.
• A reasonably sized television for football and Red Sox games.
• One of those countertops with the overhang, and a few stools, for eating breakfast.
• A big fridge (with the stainless steel finish) with the freezer on the bottom.
• More than one oven.
• A quality toaster oven AND a 4-slice pop-up toaster.
• A large blender, capable of pureeing a shoe.
• Kitchen knives in a variety of shapes/sizes. Also, a razor sharp vegetable peeler.
• A wine rack that will inevitably always be empty
• An ice maker. One that can do the cubes and the crushed ice and replenishes itself fast.
• Hooks to hang your pots and pans from, because thats looks hip.
• A brick, wood-fired oven and an indoor grill with a big-ass vacuum hood, so you can grill even if there's a hurricane or a blizzard outside.
• A dishwasher capable of putting the dishes away.
• A worn-in leather chair with a reading lamp nearby.
• A kickin' sound system with voice activated iTunes.

Here is what the kitchen might look like...




I won't get into what food you should be stocking just yet. I'll save that for later.

Inevitably something catastrophic will happen. A ghost collapsed the kitchen table at Charles', Nate's, and Moses' house today, shattering multiple bottles of red wine and a big glass container of olive oil. What a waste.

Its almost beautiful in a disastrous sort of way.