h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

My grandfather suggested breaking a plate very early on as a ploy to getting a reputation as someone who should stay out of the kitchen. Taking out the garbage and not returning for 15 minutes is another good tactic.

hehe My grandad recomended the one about the dishes to me as well. He even gave me a book with children's poems with this in it:

If you have to do the dishes,
Which is such an awful chore
If you have to do the dishes
And you drop one on the floor
Then you may not have to do the dishes any more

Personally, I prefer the garbage one. Or possibly dissapearing with a good friend or two to play computer games or something....

Terrific. I didn't know there was a poem behind this. My grandfather undoubtedly knew that poem. He used to tell a story that he found quite funny about how when a young man was getting married he gave him advice along those lines. The man found it so humorous that he told the story at the wedding party. My grandfather's punch line was, "And I was up to my elbows in soapsuds for the next year."

I always volunteer to *help* with the dishes.

Far too often at family gatherings grandmothers and mothers get shunted off to the kitchen to do the domestic chores, and I've always found that to be pretty poor...

Besides, who knows better 'dirt' on the family than the women.
Hanging out with the women folk can be a great way to learn the 'real' family history.

Like the time the KKK burned a cross on my great-grandfather's farm until he chased them off with his dogs and shotgun...

Somehow the Klan thought he was sympathetic to their cause but a few loads of birdshot cleared up that misunderstanding.

Washing up is a tender subject around my house so I'd better tread carefully. But what a great idea about tapping into the "living libraries" in your family. The other day at a family party I started asking my Nanna about how she and my Grandad met. She was hilarious and shared details that even my mother hadn't heard. She also started telling stories on one of my aunts who wasn't there and we were laughing our heads off. I also happened to have my digital recorder handy and got the whole thing for posterity...