[Household Chores: Preferences, Frustrations, and Habits]-[Topic Talk | Which chores do you hate and which ones don't you mind?]

The A to Z English Podcast · B1 · 2024-06-06

📋 Summary

Household Chores: A Discussion on Domestic Responsibilities

In this episode of the A to Z English Podcast, hosts Jack and Social engage in a relatable conversation regarding household chores, exploring which tasks they perform, which ones they despise, and the differing standards of cleanliness they maintain.

The Burden of Daily Chores

Both hosts discuss the challenges of managing a household. Social, who lives alone in Mexico, explains that he often balances doing his own chores with hiring help. However, when he handles tasks himself, he finds cooking for one to be a lonely experience, noting, "there's nothing lonely or then frying like one egg." Consequently, he often resorts to ordering food. Jack, on the other hand, shares his division of labor with his wife. While she manages more intensive tasks like cleaning the bathrooms and dusting most of the house, Jack is responsible for vacuuming and dusting his "man cave." He expresses frustration with dusting, citing the "many little nooks and crannies" that make the process tedious.

Tasks That Irk and Exasperate

When discussing chores they hate, the hosts highlight a few common pain points. Social struggles with sweeping and mopping because it causes him back pain. He also notes a shift in his attitude toward washing dishes; while he enjoyed it as a child, he now finds it unpleasant due to the "nasty food" and the fact that the kitchen never stays clean for long.

Jack identifies taking out the trash as his most hated chore. He admits to letting it pile up into a "mountain of boxes" before finally taking it out, a task made more difficult by the fact that he lives on the third floor of a walkup. The conversation also touches on the complexities of trash disposal in Korea, where recycling is strict, and food waste is dehydrated to feed pigs. Jack admits he was unaware of the specific rules, such as not including eggshells or bones, which can be "a pain" for residents to manage correctly.

Finding Satisfaction in Cleanliness

Despite the general dislike for chores, the hosts discuss finding moments of satisfaction. Jack finds vacuuming manageable and even enjoyable when he listens to podcasts or treats the vacuum as a "dancing partner." Social finds scrubbing floors particularly satisfying, noting that he enjoys the visual transformation when the "grout changes" from dark to light. He describes the physical effort involved as using "elbow grease" to achieve a deep clean.

Standards of Cleanliness: The 80% vs. 100% Approach

A significant portion of the discussion focuses on varying standards of cleanliness. Jack describes himself as an "80%er," someone who cleans until it is "just good enough," whereas his wife is a "100%er." This discrepancy often leads to contention when Jack's efforts fail to meet his wife's high standards. Social identifies as a "100%er" who prefers to wait until he can roll up his sleeves and make the house "sparkling." Both agree that having someone else clean often results in the job being done "half-heartedly," a term they define as putting in "small, low effort" because the cleaner does not live in the space.

Ultimately, the hosts invite their listeners to share their own experiences with household chores, encouraging them to join the conversation via email, their website, or their social media platforms.

🎯Key Sentences

I totally get that.

I've been handling them on my own.

You know what I mean?

What's wrong with my life, you know?

I'm happy to cook.

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📝Key Phrases

works out pretty well

drives you crazy

pitch the idea

nooks and crannies

pile up

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📖 Transcript

Hey, A to Z English Podcast listeners, it's Jack here.

And we just want to announce that we are now on WeChat.

Our WeChat ID is A to Z English Podcast.

That is A to Z English Podcast. One word, all lowercase.

And if you join the group, you'll be able to talk with me,

you'll be able to talk with social.

Or study on the web version →