A kitchen reveals cooperation through the space people leave each other to move.

Two people cooking together are negotiating constantly without a word. Who steps back, who waits at the sink, who moves the pan so the other can reach: none of it is discussed, and all of it adds up to a fairly accurate picture of how the household works. Bad cooperation in a kitchen is not usually rudeness, it is people who have not yet learned each other’s paths. The rhythm takes weeks and then becomes invisible again.

Cook alongside somebody this week and pay attention to the choreography rather than the food. Notice who yields, and whether it is always the same person.