Ya know, diehard "foodies" can be pretty fierce when it comes to the subject of spatulas. Which is best for sauteeing? Which is best for scrambling eggs? How about for stirfry cooking? Speaking for myself only, I have several types of spatulas that I use on a regular basis- for cooking.

Disclaimer- My husband is a wonderful man of whom I am unworthy. But in this one particular area I'm about to share, well, let's just say we don't see eye to eye.

I contend spatulas should only be used for cooking. My husband- not so much. I have seen him use my cooking utensils for outdoor projects, indoor projects, and for scooping up newborn baby bunnies that didn't live for more than an hour (don't ask). "Don't you understand those are for cooking?" I have urged. I have even tried to set up an analogy: would I use one of your theology books as a coaster or a stepladder? Would I rip the pages out of a rare commentary to use for cleaning mirrors and windows? Wanna lay bets at his response? "Apples and oranges, babe, apples and oranges." Yeah, it sounds funny now.

But I think that almost 14 years of marriage have affected my brain in this area. Because at the tender hour of 3:00 am there I was, in the kitchen, using a spatula to scrape off vomit from a pillow case. You know I couldn't put that thing in the washing machine chunks and all. I had two very sick boys in the wee hours of the morning, and we all know what throw-up sheets smell like after a few hours. But here's a warning: a nylon spatula (which is great for non-stick cookware) has a little too much...spring, shall we say, for this job. Because theoretically, one could use just a bit too much forward motion (in one's haste to rid the pillowcase of offending substance so as not to gag), resulting in small splatters landing on both lenses of one's glasses. Next time, I'll go for the metal one.

Labels: family, throw-up

# posted by a suburban housewife @ 8:00 PM