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The Kitchen
How Tunisian kitchens function as operating systems.
Work Happens in Layers
Cooking does not proceed step by step.
Some tasks require attention.
Others are left to run.
Heat is set.
Time is allowed to pass.
Hands move elsewhere.
The kitchen operates through simultaneity.
Attention Is Distributed
Not everything is watched closely.
Some processes are checked occasionally.
Others demand focus only at specific moments.
Attention shifts without pause.
Nothing waits for total concentration.
The system is designed for partial focus.
Waiting Is Used
Time between actions is not empty.
While something cooks, other tasks happen.
Preparation, cleaning, and arrangement overlap.
The kitchen does not stop between steps.
It flows.
Sequences Are Known
Movements repeat daily.
Ingredients are placed where they will be reached again.
Tools return to the same positions.
These patterns are not discussed.
They are relied upon.
The kitchen remembers what the cook does not need to.
Constraints Are Absorbed
Space is limited.
Heat is shared.
Time is uneven.
Rather than resisting these limits, the kitchen adapts around them.
Tasks are ordered to avoid collision.
Only one thing at a time requires full attention.
What This Makes Possible
Because execution is distributed, cooking does not exhaust focus.
Meals are prepared alongside other activities.
Life continues while food is made.
The kitchen does not demand attention.
It accommodates it.
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