sharing kitchen space with non-raw parents.

[biorobotics]

hi.
i'm nineteen (turning twenty in march), and i have a question for those who are raw, vegan, and living with their parents.

how do you handle sharing kitchen/dining space with non-raw, omnivorous parents?
mine cook a lot of meat, dairy, and eggs, and i'll admit that i'm a little (okay, a lot) obsessive about things being clean, i really want to make sure that any utensils or dishes that are shared between us are animal-product-free, counters are wiped, etc.
we don't have a dishwasher; everything is washed in a sink.
i try to wash any dishes that i use separately, but that's not always possible for everything.
tupperware containers (for storage and packing lunches) are used by everyone.

any tips on how to deal? cleaning solutions? words of wisdom?

thanks.

[Raene]

I can understand your predicament because I used to live, nanny, and clean for a family who ate meat, and of all things, they expected me to clean their cutting board and wash their dishes that they'd eaten LAMB on. As a vegan I simply couldn't do it.
Anyway, I'd say maybe you could buy a few cheap containers and label them as yours. If your parents respect your wishes, they should be okay with that. I'm hoping you don't have wooden cutting boards that they use for meat, b/c that could be a problem. But as a do it by hand dishwasher, I feel that dishes get clean...just make sure the water is as hot as possible.
NEVER use sponges as they harbor all kinds of bacteria. Those kitchen washcloths are a better bet. Just make sure before you start preparing your food to wipe down the countertops with vinegar, baking soda, or whatever you feel you need, so that you're not picking up stuff from their food.
Good luck!

[jacsam]

At our house we have a cutting board for fruits and veggies and then there is the cutting board for all that other stuff....maybe you could get your own cutting board and let the rest of the family know that it is for fruits and veggies only.

[JennaBoBenna]

It's not that hard for me--in fact, it's helped my parents eat a lot healthier somehow!
I have my own cutting board, it's green and has a picture of a carrot on it
(My parents have ones with chicken, cow, and fish on them. :( )
I have my own cupboard with my raw stuff(nut butters, supplements, dried foods etc), although most of the time when I open it, everything wants to fall out because it's so small and full!
My only beef(harhar) with sharing space is the fridge! :eek: oh lordy, it's terrible! It's alllllways brimming with leftovers (meaning they're using up all of the gladware! :mad: ) and there's "normal" omni foods in there that I won't name. and since I never want to look in the fridge because certain tempting foods can be found there, I often forget about foods I've bought that just rot away :/
I'm moving out with the BF in August and the thing I'm looking forward to most is my very own fridge! I can't wait to have jars of almond milk ready to use, raw leftovers..etc ;)

[Conscious Midwife]

For one stop using there tupperware and find yourself some glass alternative or some sort of metal bento or something.

Your own cutting board and shelf space would be ideal, even a shelf and draw in the fridge

experiemtn with some treats that you might want to share with them