The Kitchen

The focal point of my family home was the kitchen so not surprisingly it is a familiar backdrop in many family photos.   Its transformation charts the passage of time and domestic trends -- rotary to push button, formica to butcher block.  In 1968, the set of Revere Ware pots appeared on the wall, and remained through out the decades like a cherished metal sculpture. The copper bottoms required special attention, polished with a specific cleanser and dried immediately to avoid staining.  In the second to the last picture, the pots are 34 years old, and as pristine as the day they were unwrapped in 1955 at my parents' engagement party.  Although I don't have a photo to prove it, they are in the same condition today.  Perhaps 60 years ago, products were manufactured to last longer, but I also believe it is the care we gave them.  My mother cherished them, and by default we did too.  I roughly calculated that over 20,000 meals have been cooked with these pots and pans, and they are not close to being replaced.