Cooking

You might have noticed that Hanna is a great cook. From her meat pies to her morning bread; her stews and jams are favorites and her cookies are legendary. One critic pointed out that much of her time is spent in the kitchen cooking and planning meals. He thought this was old fashioned and sexist. I laughed and asked if he had any idea how much work went into cooking from scratch, how much planning and time. There is a reason that so many women were tied to the house cooking and planning three meals a day in the past. In the Combined Territories Hanna cooks because she wants to. She is domestic and it pleases her to contribute in such a way. It is the same reason that Gordon farms, Brom hunts, Heron makes wagons, Jamie any Janie make candy and clothing, and LeeAnn heals. The idea of building a place for ones self with a role that contributes to the whole is based on family dynamics. Grabon allows his people to make their own place and to switch it as needed to accommodate new interests or emerging talents and skills. It would be nice if our own society did as much.