After watching Henry’s videos, I noticed that many elements of our kitchens are the same: the wood used in the cabinetry, the brushed steel refrigerator, the floor tile. The only difference is the countertops. Oh, and I don’t have toddlers seeking refuge in my kitchen cabinets like they are Jews living in 1940s Nazi-occupied Holland. Betrayed by strawberries and Corn Chips. The humanity…
What I do have is a portrait of my parents/overlords looking down at me from the most prominent place in the entire house. Whether I’m in the kitchen or family room, they’re watching.
Originally, the interior designer didn’t want to bring the portrait over from The Big Wong Palace, but that didn’t fly with the parents. Then the designer wanted to re-frame the portrait, but my parents objected because the original frame was too expensive (read: it looks like something looted from Versailles). Next, the decorator put the portrait in an annex that’s not even accessible from the main house—you have to use an outside stairway to get there (we call it “the hiding place”). That’s when my parents ordered their portrait hung in the heart of The Bigger Wong Palace, where it’s visible to all who enter—a serious power move.
You know what Chairman Mao says: powerty comes from gun…or footing the bill.