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Let’s set the record straight. I am NOT one of those women who must wash the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. That is why I have a dishwasher. But I totally understand where those people are coming from. And by “those people” I mean women, because men don’t rinse. (The male “code” forbids it.) As a kid I had a KitchenAid dishwasher that could only get dishes clean if they were first scrubbed with a Brillo Pad. Guess who scrubbed? So if you are still suffering with technology from 1975, go ahead and wash first. I support you.
If you have a “real” dishwasher, (as in one made within the last 10 years), and you are still “washing first,” you are crazy. The dishwasher is exactly that – and very aptly named. So stop washing. Simply have your kids scrape bones and large unsightly piles of food off their plates. Leave bits, smears and crumbs. Really, it will all disappear. Take deep breaths and let it go. Let’s practice together, ohhmm….ohhmmm…ohm…
However, in the interest of full disclosure, I'd like to point out that the modern dishwasher cannot consume all foods. There is one major exception. RICE.
Rice is a Super Food. If you leave ONE grain of rice on a plate before putting it in your dishwasher, I guarantee that it will become fused to your dishware for life. (Or at least until you break every fingernail trying to pry it off.) You can also try soaking the plate for DAYS – then putting it back in your dishwasher. But I’ll save you some time and tell you right now that it won’t work. If rice sticks to peoples ribs half as well as it sticks to the plates in my dishwasher, then it’s no wonder rice feeds ¾ of the world’s population.
I bought a BOSCH dishwasher (despite its ludicrous cost) because I thought that European efficiency would keep me from having to rinse rice off my plates. The manly Bosch heats water to 450 degrees, it is whisper quiet, and its “normal” cycle runs for 3 hours. (On the earth friendly side, it uses very little water.) Still, it can’t clean rice for beans. Then I started to think about all that rice still stuck on my plates and how it could probably feed a family of 5 in Indonesia for a day. Not to mention the beans.
Hand washing is the best way to deal with rice residue. It’s what we all used to do as kids, BEFORE our parents upgraded to dishwashers. And it’s what most people who primarily subsist on rice still do, though not necessarily by choice. Not only do these families wash their dishes by hand, but they generally have to carry their water through a war zone from the communal well two miles away. Which does NOT lead to the comparatively inane question of how to keep rice from sticking to our plates, but rather to the question of how to redistribute rice the rice we have.
And you thought this column was about obsessive-compulsive plate rinsing!
Here are some holiday "redistribution" ideas for helping women and children this season…
http://www.freerice.com/
Awesome FREE website for kids. Build vocabulary, donate rice.
http://www.kiva.org/
Microloan borrower/lender matching site. Choose your recipient. One of my favorites.
http://www.microplace.com/
Microloan as an investment. Ebay sponsored nonprofit.
http://www.namaste-direct.org/
Supports women in South America.
http://www.grameenfoundation.org/
Microfinance and technology defeating global poverty.
They say that “Charity begins at Home”. There are hungry people in your town, I guarantee it. Find your local food pantry and make a donation. That’s where I’ll be starting my holiday giving this year.
Happy holidays to you and your family!
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