It was the first thing I learned to do in the kitchen. My momma would eventually teach me to cook, but first she taught me to wash dishes. My older brothers were gone, off to fight in Vietnam, and after supper my dad would sit and read the evening newspaper. My momma and I would do dishes and talk. 'Use hot water,' she told me, 'as hot as you can stand, and just a tad hotter than that, then the dishes will dry quicker and easier.' I still follow that rule.
