You’re given a plot of land and have the financial resources to do what you please. What’s the plan?
If I’m feeling philanthropic my answer is to build a utopian community for me and my loved ones so that we can share a large space and block out the harsh outside world. Much like the community in M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Village”, a community cut off from the surrounding world and for that, far simpler and more direct way of living.
Then sometimes I’m not feeling all that warm and fuzzy and instead of a community I imagine a home for my immediate family far away and very much off the beaten path. There is a section of Ontario that I’ve seen from Highway 401 that inspires this idea. The road overlooks this heavily wooded bend in a small river and the shore of the river is made up of small stones, like pea-gravel. I imagine carving out some room on this little bend by the river and making a small place for myself.
In either sense, the core remains the same. The heart of any home for a Cancerian is necessarily the kitchen and that is where I would invest the most money. A place to cook and a place for my loved ones to enjoy what I’ve made. Over the years I’ve grown quite fond of cooking and in many ways it’s become an authentic route for me to express how much I care for other people. If I want to cook for you it means something. Something special. It does sting when my offers go rejected, but I’ve learned to not take those slights personally.
Along the same lines, I used to half joke to friends that I would buy Vermont and create a utopian society of people who didn't suck. Nowadays I wonder if Vermont would be the best location, but I still explore the facets and logistics of that community in my mind. Someone who liked to cook and could quote all of The Princess Bride would likely have been invited to join.
What would your ideal stove range be? Viking custom 6 burner with griddle? 1940's Chambers with Thermo Well? Separate stove top with double built in oven/convection oven? Something in between?
It would definitely have to be gas. I don't like cooking with electric. I would prefer something with heavy-duty grates on top and I'm not necessarily married to one manufacturer over another. The only thing I do really insist on is a low defect rate on Consumers Reports. I've heard some unpleasant things about Viking, but I don't know enough to say what I do like.
“…you have kindness in your voice. I did not expect that.”
Gas is requisite, no question. I’ve spent a bit of time researching models for a long term kitchen update and, generally speaking, I’ve come to the conclusion that finding a well maintained older model gas stove is the way to go. It appears the newer Viking models tend to trade in performance and reliability for some residential marketability, a la Hummer style.
I don’t know what the final selection will be, but my current favorite is probably an early forties Chamber’s B model. The Chambers stoves were built such that they can maintain consistent interior temperature to within a degree (something modern stoves aren’t particularly good at) and they are practically forever repairable (provided you can get/manufacture the needed part). I’m partial to the aesthetics of earlier stoves over most current designs as well.
If you are cooking for a lot of family though, you’d probably want a “big Garland” like Julia Child. She could fit two turkeys in her’s, and I’m pretty sure the grates are indestructible.
Have you done a post on your ideal kitchen?