esrosedotblog

AS YOU GO

There was a sign in one of the eateries I used to work in; shortordering and soda-jerking. It said, in big bold letters: CLEAN AS YOU GO.

The idea was that if you cleaned your mess as you made it, we would all get out of our shift faster, there would be less clutter for others working in the area and, just possibly, if a food inspector came along, we would miss getting cited just on the basis of neatness. In some venues, cleanliness trumps mouse turds.

I have taken this principle and made it a habit in my own cooking life. The dish goes in the rack, the counter gets scrubbed, the trash and leavings from knife work go in the disposal and a used ingredient goes back in the rack or refrigerator.

Cleanup is faster; just do the dishes when the meal is over. The room looks better than if it is all gnarled with flotsam and jetsam and you can find your knife when you want it. It is in the right slot of the knife rack.

It strikes me that this 'clean as you go' principal is one to consider in life too. When you make a mess clean it up as soon as possible. If you lose your temper go, now, to work the problem out sensibly. Wait until you cool off, of course. There is nothing worse than scornful apology. If a mistake is made, correct it quickly and move on.

This kind of behavior reduces the inherent 'kitchen mess' that one carries in living. God knows there is enough unconscious stuff (they tell us) we have had done to us or have perpetrated ourselves or whatever.

I am not sure that I believe this neurosis thing much; it is often a good excuse for bad behavior. You can transform selfish actions into neurotic behavior with just a little mindfucking.

But, I digress. I have to go clean up the mess I made getting this piece together. You know. Checking the spelling (did you know that the spell check doesn't buy 'mindfucking'?) and cleaning up the punctuation; always messy. And so on.