Time for a household update.
It has been an interesting couple of weeks on the home front. Stella, our cook, is here part time and she, and Suma have been gently acknowledging the hierarchy... Stella is older, and the cook, therefore officially #1, Suma, I think feels that as she was in the house first and was doing some cooking that she should not be nudged down. I'm keeping clear, and enjoying it. For my part, Stella's experience shows: she comes on time, does the work, shows initiative and gently guides Suma.
This week I had to have a bit of a chat about what it takes to be my maid. I was starting to feel like every day Suma would come and tell me what work she would do tomorrow... there was always some reason why it would not get done. We have heard from many of our Indian friends that you have to get over being nice and understanding and just play the heavy a little: one woman told me that after years of being away she found it so hard that she ended up getting rid of a staff team because they had taken over and she had lost control. The trick seems to be that you have to accept that your maid expects to be treated a certain way, and if you don't, then it gets confusing for her. So... I asked Suma if she wanted to work in my house - was the work too hard, is the house too big? She got a little upset at the thought would get someone new, but I told her that I pay her to do the work, not tell me she will, and that if she does not want this job I will find someone who does. That did the trick. I also told her to focus on cleaning and laundry and that Stella would take over the lunches. This did not go down well, until I asked her to babysit this Saturday. Madam giveth and taketh away. The result is that I have seen a huge improvement in the last couple of days. I had been concerned that when our shipment finally comes, the house would be too much for her, but I hope she'll be fine.
Stella is interesting. She clearly knows her way around a kitchen - as I type I can smell the cinnamon rolls for tomorrow's breakfast. That said, I'm asking her to do a few things she has not done before. On Wednesday we had the pleasure of entertaining a couple who are about to relocate here, and Stella made a great effort at a chicken and chorizo paella. Initially she had some concerns about mixing the chicken with pork, but I told her it would be delicious, and indeed it was, if a little off on the rice to non-rice ratio. Yesterday afternoon, I taught her to make gnocchi. There is only so much rice and bread a family can eat in a week. We had been eating so well that I abandoned the plan for her to follow a recipe for bell pepper and pork with gnocchi and instead asked her to make a simple sauce using up some bacon, veggies and tomato. As we were discussing the meal I noticed her say, and I make a salad madam. I did not follow this comment up as I should have. When it came time to reheat the meal I noticed that my sauce was indeed a salad... nothing was cooked... a raw bacon salad. I managed to get it all cooked, but I think something was lost in the texture.
My turn in the kitchen later when I attempt to make a cake with local ingredients. Dara has requested a chocolate banana cake with chocolate frosting in the shape of a 4 for her party tomorrow. Wish me luck. I have found what I hope to be a fairly foolproof recipe and only time will tell. I guess the worst that happens is we get Baskin Robbins to deliver ice cream and serve cake crumb and ice cream sundaes with candles.
... and I managed a fantastic fail today completely unrelated to the house team. I went up to our balcony to sit with a book. I noticed that the anti-mosquito candle we keep out there was filled with water, I assumed from the rain. Hmm, apparently the lid does not work so well. I cursed the fact that the expensive candle had dissolved in said water and was now much smaller. As I dutifully poured the water into a plant pot I watched it recongeal and now there is a wax coating on the soil. Note to self, wax melts in hot weather...
It has been an interesting couple of weeks on the home front. Stella, our cook, is here part time and she, and Suma have been gently acknowledging the hierarchy... Stella is older, and the cook, therefore officially #1, Suma, I think feels that as she was in the house first and was doing some cooking that she should not be nudged down. I'm keeping clear, and enjoying it. For my part, Stella's experience shows: she comes on time, does the work, shows initiative and gently guides Suma.
This week I had to have a bit of a chat about what it takes to be my maid. I was starting to feel like every day Suma would come and tell me what work she would do tomorrow... there was always some reason why it would not get done. We have heard from many of our Indian friends that you have to get over being nice and understanding and just play the heavy a little: one woman told me that after years of being away she found it so hard that she ended up getting rid of a staff team because they had taken over and she had lost control. The trick seems to be that you have to accept that your maid expects to be treated a certain way, and if you don't, then it gets confusing for her. So... I asked Suma if she wanted to work in my house - was the work too hard, is the house too big? She got a little upset at the thought would get someone new, but I told her that I pay her to do the work, not tell me she will, and that if she does not want this job I will find someone who does. That did the trick. I also told her to focus on cleaning and laundry and that Stella would take over the lunches. This did not go down well, until I asked her to babysit this Saturday. Madam giveth and taketh away. The result is that I have seen a huge improvement in the last couple of days. I had been concerned that when our shipment finally comes, the house would be too much for her, but I hope she'll be fine.
Stella is interesting. She clearly knows her way around a kitchen - as I type I can smell the cinnamon rolls for tomorrow's breakfast. That said, I'm asking her to do a few things she has not done before. On Wednesday we had the pleasure of entertaining a couple who are about to relocate here, and Stella made a great effort at a chicken and chorizo paella. Initially she had some concerns about mixing the chicken with pork, but I told her it would be delicious, and indeed it was, if a little off on the rice to non-rice ratio. Yesterday afternoon, I taught her to make gnocchi. There is only so much rice and bread a family can eat in a week. We had been eating so well that I abandoned the plan for her to follow a recipe for bell pepper and pork with gnocchi and instead asked her to make a simple sauce using up some bacon, veggies and tomato. As we were discussing the meal I noticed her say, and I make a salad madam. I did not follow this comment up as I should have. When it came time to reheat the meal I noticed that my sauce was indeed a salad... nothing was cooked... a raw bacon salad. I managed to get it all cooked, but I think something was lost in the texture.
My turn in the kitchen later when I attempt to make a cake with local ingredients. Dara has requested a chocolate banana cake with chocolate frosting in the shape of a 4 for her party tomorrow. Wish me luck. I have found what I hope to be a fairly foolproof recipe and only time will tell. I guess the worst that happens is we get Baskin Robbins to deliver ice cream and serve cake crumb and ice cream sundaes with candles.
... and I managed a fantastic fail today completely unrelated to the house team. I went up to our balcony to sit with a book. I noticed that the anti-mosquito candle we keep out there was filled with water, I assumed from the rain. Hmm, apparently the lid does not work so well. I cursed the fact that the expensive candle had dissolved in said water and was now much smaller. As I dutifully poured the water into a plant pot I watched it recongeal and now there is a wax coating on the soil. Note to self, wax melts in hot weather...
No comments:
Post a Comment