Doing the Dishes... repost

I HAVE a confession to make…

I hate doing the dishes. I simply hate it.

A feeling of disgust overwhelms me every time I see greasy plates and grimy bowls stacked sky-high in the kitchen sink, waiting to be scraped of encrusted leftover food. Even if I use a sponge or a scouring pad (the generic green ones), the slime and the smell still stick to my hand, more so if the ulam is adobo or mechado with all that gooey, oily sauce that goes with it.

When, finally, I have to give up and accept my wretched fate because I might miss “The Nanny or E.R. or whatever program, lucidity sets in and my philosophical self surfaces. And I think, there are times when the task of washing dishes could be compared to the act of confessing one’s sins.

Really? Yes.
However, for the benefit of those who have never washed a dirty plate in their entire fortunate life, I will reiterate – begin drumroll, please – the tried and tested “Basic Procedures of Dishwashing.”

First, you scrape the bowls, plates, pots and pans with encrusted food and pile the dishes neatly in the sink with the spoons and forks, according to size and shape. Second, rinse the whole shebang with water, or just let it flow a few minutes if your are too lazy, particularly if you’re the finicky type and you don’t want too much spaghetti sauce and Axion paste mixture lathering your hands while doing the soaping. Third, I advise would-be dishwashes to use paste goo (Like Axion, Dazz, whatever), preferably the kalamansi(lemon)-scented kind, instead of your ordinary laundry bar or powder. It’s really cheaper and economical in the long run. While soaping, use circular strokes – inside to outside. If you encounter stubborn stains like longganisa (sausages) drippings and burnt scrambled eggs, feel free to use the hardy scouring pad instead of the pushover sponge and scrub and scrape like there’s no tomorrow. To get the whole thing over and done with, after soaping and scrubbing, rinse the dishes with plain tap water, although it is best to wash extra greasy plates and pots in lukewarm water.