Kitchens and cribbage...

From Be Not Idle:

"... until I moved into this house, most of the kitchens I’ve been in have had a counter or “passthrough” separating it from the dining area. That doesn’t mean that people didn’t gather in the kitchen; it meant that they usually stood up when they did. The passthroughs kept a nice distance between the busy cook and her guests. (Holidays weren’t complete until Mom snapped “Get out of my kitchen!” to a would-be moocher, most often Dad.)

The passthroughs were the perfect height for leaning, or were short enough to be accompanied by barstools. Cleaning up afterwards is a group project, with the table cleared of dirty dishes and immediately filled with whatever game is beginning. Most nights it’s either a card game or a cribbage game. And there is always talking back and forth.

My father recalls his mother and aunts in the kitchen, laughing and chattering like magpies. He gets a happy smile on his face when he talks about it...."

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