Our "Table"

I got out the tape measure this morning, our "studio" is 9'x14' and the bathroom is 9'x6'. Tight. It's like living in a ship cabin. If lower Manhattan finds itself under water one of these days, we may just be okay. Cook Without a Kitchen Goes to Sea!

Actually, I think we'd be swimming pretty fast to Jersey.

When bringing furniture into such a small place, a lot of thought goes into it. How much will we use it? How much space does it take up? And can it be used for more than just one thing? 

When we thought living here would be temporary, eating out of take-out containers on the bed was fine, an adventure. But we're here and not going anywhere anytime fast which means bringing a little civility into our lives. For sanity's sake. Hold off the antipsychotics for now please.

Bringing a dining room table into this room is a joke. At my parents house in Pennsylvania, along with a basement full of wedding gifts and most of my furniture from an old Brooklyn apartment, is a beautiful, modern, solid cherry table they designed and had made when they got married. It's the table I remember eating dinner at all through my childhood and one day it will be ours. But not now. Not now. Soooo.......

Chris had a rather ingenious idea. Lets get a TV table. It's about 2" wide when folded and fits perfectly between the wardrobe and filing cabinet and when it's set up the two of us can pull our desk chairs up and have a rather dignified meal. Throw a nice cloth napkin or fancy dishtowel on it and you might as well invite Julia Child over. Sadly, that will not happen, for obvious reasons.

When I cook with our electric skillet I put it on the TV table in the bathroom since it's the only surface big enough, but this creates a bit of a scramble when it comes time to eat. There is a moment when every surface in the room is covered with dishes and plates and utensils and sauces until the contents of the skillet have been removed and our "table" can be moved from the bathroom into our room for dinner. 

I suppose the point I'd like to make is this. Sit down and eat dinner at a table, even if its just for one. No matter what kind of table it is, put on a tablecloth, buy a couple nice wine glasses, make dinner, and worry a little less about your bills or your boss or the fact that you live in a 9'x14' room.

Cheers.