the cape dynamic

Dinner on the Cape is a major production.  My mom spends the morning planning, shopping, cutting, chopping, and marinating,  Then, about an hour or two before eating, my sisters and I set the table, make the salad, and start the cooking.  I act primarily as the sous chef as my skills are not culinary. 

While we are getting dinner ready, the men are in the other room eating appetizers the women have prepared.

Following dinner the men retire to the living room and the woman clear the plates, load the dishwasher, put away any leftovers, and wash and wipe anything that cannot fit in the dishwasher.

Tonight I make lobster salad sandwiches, having bought about ¾ pound of lobster meat on the Cape.  I generally prepare dinner while Alexander is responsible for the clean-up.  He moans jokingly that this is woman’s work, but he does a thorough job.

Tonight after dinner he suggests I clean the plates, load the dishwasher, and wash the big bowls.   “I like the dynamic better on the Cape where the men do nothing.”  What a surprise.