@vgr

I’m in the process of rethinking my workshop organization because the half-bedroom allotted to it is getting unusably cluttered, and I need creative new levers to make better use of limited space. One I realized I’m underutilizing is the floor level. For many maker/craft activities, when possible, I like to sit cross-legged on the floor and work on a low table. We happen to have a low Korean table (about half the height of an American coffee table) that I’ve commandeered for this. I normally have it tucked away under my long standing desk by the window, and pull it out when I want to work on small assembles, lego etc. I have a blanket over it (not a tablecloth) to avoid damage for delicate things. Not ideal for electronics (static) or when cutting is needed, but perfect for mechanical. It’s great because I have like 5’ x 5’ square of carpeted ergonomic expansion space when table surface is full. You can’t do that with a sitting or standing desk. This reminds me: In traditional Indian kitchens, food prep mostly happens at floor level and is very comfortable, especially for slow and patient activities like shelling peas. Some tools are adapted for this. Instead of a knife the traditional tool for chopping vegetables, especially in the south, is a blade mounted on a wooden block, usually with a coconut grater at the end (see picture), called an iligemane in Kannada (aruvamanai in Tamil, boti in Hindi). My mom used one of these (she had a folding kind where the blade folds away) until the mid 80s. I learned to use this before I learned to use a kitchen knife. You sit half-cross-legged, with one foot on the wooden base, and bring the vegetable to the blade with both hands. Very fast and efficient if you are used to it. But they’ve gone out of fashion as Indian kitchens have “modernized” to western standing-counter/island/kitchen table styles. Some other activities are also easier on the floor. Rolling rotis with a rolling pin is easier because you’re pushing down on the rolling pin rather than diagonally. It strikes me that a) floor-level furniture is common in Asia, cf calligraphy or tea ceremony type tables, trad cash registers in India etc b) I’m only used to sitting on the floor because I’m Indian c) floor level is uninhabited to the point of weirdness in the west I suspect working low to the ground feels very unnatural and awkward to Americans. Kids play on the floor (“rugrats”), but past teenage/adult height, Americans never work on surfaces lower than a dining table or desk. In part because most can’t sit cross-legged or other low-to-ground postures like on heels or haunches, but I’m sure there are other cultural reasons. Even handymen seem to struggle even though they’re forced to do it in various situations. They kneel awkwardly with knee pads, or squat in strained ways. Cold is another factor. Cold floors are uncomfortable to sit on and carpeted ones are hard to clean without a modern vacuum. Floor level culture depends on either mild weather or heated floors as in east Asia. A subtle effect: “shoes off at door” and feet-washing are norms in Asia because the floor is a workspace and clean feet are necessary for many things. As are daily sweeping and mopping. And smooth marble or mosaic floors are also preferred over linoleum in India because they make for better work surfaces (wood construction is rare in modern India though it was apparently the default in ancient India). BUT, in modern homes with vacuums and hvac, there is no reason the west can’t get acquainted with the floor level too. Americans are probably missing a whole low-to-the-ground experience of living environments as adults. For me, cross-legged is often the most comfortable position, even on a chair, if arms don’t get in the way. Heel-sitting (no good word for this in English; the vajrasana yoga pose) is harder without carpeting. Sitting on haunches is ideal outdoors (and for pooping of course), on uncertain ground, but probably very hard to learn as an adult and gets harder with age. But cross-legged is manageable into old age if you’re reasonably fit and don’t have knee issues. I had a grand-uncle who could sit cross-legged on the floor into his 90s. Thought: saris evolved in India probably because of floor sitting. Cross legged is the most comfortable, and while the more universal way women floor-sit, with both legs ticked to one side, is friendlier to skirts, it is not sustainable for long.

2 replies

0 recast

12 reactions