I have a love of cooking that often times taps me all the way to the bottom of my silverware drawer. I will often borrow tomorrow’s spoons to finish what I want to do today… I am sure that some of this is drawn of my stubborn and bullheaded nature.
To assist me in my passions, The Guy outfitted our tiny Korean-style kitchen with a thick, squishy mat from the local E-Mart (like a Korean department store that has groceries and household goods). It takes a ton of the strain off of my back and upper legs while I am standing for extended periods while chopping or kneading. I love it. It makes my life easier!
Apparently, I am not the only one in our home who loves it.
[A wee little white paw sticks out from a wood-looking squishy mat on my wood floor. Who could it be?]
Whoever it is seems to think that these tan toes look enticing! Or maybe she is defending the honor of my stolen Navy Issued sweat pants. I was looking for those!
Someone was playing “submarine kitteh” under the floor mat and was stalking our feet as we walked past. Of course, it rendered the mat useless, because who can walk on a mat that is being used by a kitty?
I guess it isn’t really making my life easier, but I guess that is why she came in a cute package, so that I don’t mind so much!
Hope this brightened your day just a little bit!
Awww! I remember when our cat used to play this game. The new kittens never seemed to have discovered it, though…
I would love to get one of those for my husband who loves to cook, but has MS (same problem with standing that you have). Could you give me a product name or description that would help me find one for him for xmas? Thanks!
Silly me. “Thick, squishy floor mat” instantly gives you “anti fatigue floor mat”, which looks exactly like what you pictured and described. Somebody’s getting a surprise present this year!
Personal Failure, I looked into a bunch of different types of mats for that, including the kind that they use in professional kitchens, and ultimately decided that the best option for me, in terms of cost and looks and size, was those interlocking foam squares that are sold as play mats for babies. There are a bunch available that are pretty thick, and you can cover the whole floor rather than just one standing place, and I liked the way they looked much better. (When I was looking, pretty much all of the reasonably-priced mats specifically made for kitchens had pictures of either roosters or chili peppers on them, and none of them were anything I’d want to look at every day. I found interlocking squares in shades of pink and brown that I liked much better.)
Personal Failure, I was going to suggest what Ruchama suggested, since I don’t know where to get them in the States. They are extremely common in Korea, and come in all sizes, from typical “sink mat” sized to a size that I could have covered almost any kitchen I have had in any apartment I’ve lived in size. They vary in price from about 15,000 South Korean Won (which comes to about 16-17 USD) to about 50,000, depending on size and pattern. I’ve seen the interlocking foam squares, and I’ve had friends use them in kitchens, and then cover them with some kind of rug or other kitchen mat for aesthetic pleasure. Our kitchen is small, so the small one works well for us and I just slide it where I go (or, apparently, my “helper” slides it around for me). They also take quite a bit of abuse, and are quasi-self healing. In addition to “submarine kitteh”, it seems that someone finds it a nice alternative to clawing the furniture.
Either way, I am glad you found one. I swear by them in the kitchen, especially since every apartment here has hard floors (easy to clean, difficult to stand on for long periods). They are even nice to sit on when I have to organize our really low cupboards or the refrigerator.