October 16, 2003
60 jars of spices
Living in a transition country where human labor is cheap comes both with luxuries and responsibilites. The luxury part is that you can afford a fulltime nanny and a maid. The responsibility part is that you hire a fulltime nanny and a maid. Doing this creates jobs, jobs that are well-paid in comparison to other jobs in this country, and that's a good thing. You get help and work off your hands which is also good.
So suddenly you find yourself in the position of an employer and to some people, like me, that feels very awkward.
I'm not very good at telling people how I want things to be done (besides with my poor husband who subsequently suffers badly). But if you don't, then it becomes difficult.
Our maid is very conscientious and tidy. Both Doug and I are less so, Alan is not at all. So she picks up lots of things and puts them away. Which is fine. But she also re-arranges things according to her sense of, hm, order. Which differs enormously from my sense of order. I don't mind stuff being around when it's stuff that I need on a regular basis. Like spices.
I have sixty jars of spices and herbs. It was a welcome and thoughtful wedding present of our dear friend and fellow cook James Bryant. Many of the spices I use very frequently (like Herbes de Provence, cumin, coriander, chili, cinnamon, pepper, etc.), others, less so (asafoetida comes to mind). Now, here's the question: why would anybody make little artful towers with these jars? Every week, again and again? With no apparent system to it other than sorting them according to size? Even though I gently pointed out that building towers is not so good because it means putting the most frequently used and therefore biggest jars in the first row with dozens of smaller jars on top?
Beats me.
Posted by claudia at October 16, 2003 12:20 PMwhy would anybody make little artful towers with these jars? Every week, again and again?
Because it's pretty that way?
Either that, or it's an obsession with order. (You know, the kind ignorant people are always accusing Germans of having ;-> )
I assume adding shelves to wherever you keep your spices, so they can be 'sorted' that way, is not practical? I know here in the US you can get little wire shelf-racks (with legs) for that kind of thing, but I suppose they may not be available in Bucharest.
Posted by: Diane at October 16, 2003 11:09 PMWell.. if there is some type of furniture you can't find in the romanian shops.. I'm sure you can find somebody to make it for you (from wood).
Tell me.. how come those spices last for so long? don't they expire?
Have a nice day!
Anca & Misha
Posted by: Anca & Misha at October 16, 2003 11:37 PMDiane - no, additional shelves are not practical for a number of reasons. And there is no need either. I'm fine with the way my jars are kept. :-)
And the little wire thingies won't do any good - you've seen the jars, some of them are friggin' huge. There actually is a spice wire rack attached to the inside of a cabinet door in the kitchen -- but none of the jars fit in there.
Sense of order, hu? Guess that it is. I'm just not your standard German, I suppose.
Anca - yes, spices do go stale but not that quickly. Depends a little on how you keep them (dark, dry). However, I never said that they do in my household. Spices I use rarely I have very little quantities of and spices I use often, I have large quantities of. Both are used up well before they go bad or stale.
Posted by: Claudia at October 17, 2003 09:11 AM