While attending a wedding shower last weekend, I noted how many kitchen gifts were of the soft kind. What I mean is that over two thirds of the gifts included a textile of one sort or other. Though initially I attributed it to the relatively low cost of the items and their effective placement as filler in a gift bag, or box of hard items, this changed. In retrospect, I realized that my conclusion was not only hasty, but wrong.

As I returned home, and observed my own kitchen, I noticed that most of the pot holders, dish towels, placemats, and napkins I have were gifts. The point is that these crucial items are often overlooked by homeowners, or considered extravagances. Thus, people tend to make due with non-traditional items, or hold on to these things longer than they probably should after too much usage. Therefore, those friends and family who provide these for us are aware of this tendency, and their forethought is of great benefit to creating a good kitchen.