washing up (or ‘doing the dishes’, ‘faire la vaisselle’, and so on) has in most cultures been seen as an activity which is not an intrinsic part of preparing, cooking, and consuming food. Nor has it been highly regarded, although the truth is that it is a skilled business calling for a natural aptitude, a discriminating attitude to the various means available, and considerable practice. However, the idea that it is somehow separate from the meal is the greater and more pervasive error. And it is not infrequently viewed, e.g. by Mr and Mrs Eugene Christian, as an intrinsically revolting operation; see raw food. But washing up terracotta cooking pots may not always solve the problem of taint. Hence, perhaps, the preference for keeping a pot for each type of food being cooked and explanation for the apparent abandon with which these pots were thrown away in medieval rubbish dumps.
