There are a few reasons why my kitchen is in such a sad state. First off, my apartment is a few years old (maybe 8-10?). While in the U.S., that would be relatively new, it is exacerbated by the other factors. First on that list is that I am now in the university district, and college students are not known for their cleanliness. Of course, a landlord should be able to clean up after someone leaves, and I can tell that there has been some wiping down of the walls, but it hasn't been done very well.
Why? Because in my experience, the Chinese aren't really all that big on cleaning. They don't mind wiping so much (although even that sometimes is a struggle), but they do have a thing against soap. All of this could add up to some grime in a Western kitchen, but then there is the fact of Chinese cooking.
The Chinese stir-fry (as I'm sure you all know), and when you stir-fry, tiny droplets of oil become airborne. Those droplets then stick to anything and everything: the walls, the ceilings, the cabinets. And when that builds up after 10 years of lackadaisical wiping with limited surfactants...
Well, even I feel the need to don the rubber gloves and fill a basin with hot-soapy water and use some elbow grease.
I am not even doing the best job. I have not moved the fridge to clean behind it — I'm frankly scared by what I'd find. And although I've considered getting a toothbrush out, I also haven't gotten that far. Maybe once I finish the first pass, because until I get it done, I am too skeezed out to put my dishes or food away.
And I still have a cabinet and a wall left.
- Do you really care this was posted using BlogPress from my iPad?
Location:Beijing, China
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