KITCHEN OMENS AND SUPERSTITIONS

The reading of omens is an art and practice dating back to antiquity. Omens reveal many things and are all around us, if we permit ourselves to be aware of them. They can be quite beneficial, especially in warning us of dangerous situations ahead of time. The trick is knowing how to correctly interpret the omen.

The kitchen is one place in which many omens manifest. For instance, a rainstorm is portended by the repeated boiling over of a coffeepot and also by the accidental spilling of water on a tablecloth. Other omens include the following:

* Money will soon come your way if any of the following things should occur: bubbles appear in a cup of coffee, you accidentally knock over a sugar bowl, rice forms a ring around the edge of a pot, or tea leaves float to the top of the cup.

* Trouble is indicted by the accidental omission of spices from a recipe or by the spilling of salt. Be prepared for an argument with someone if you should happen to spill pepper on the kitchen table or floor. (According to occult tradition, these bad omens can be remedied by simply adding the spices, and by tossing a pinch of salt or pepper over your left shoulder, respectively.) It is also said that if two persons stir the same boiling pot or sit together on a table, they will soon find themselves involved in a quarrel.

* If your apron comes untied by itself and falls off while you are working in the kitchen, this is generally seen as a sign that someone is thinking about you. Some say that it means your sweetheart is having romantic thoughts about you at that moment.

* It is believed by many to be an omen of good news when baked apples burst while in the oven, or when the salt and sugar are accidentally mixed up.

* If a fork accidentally falls onto the floor, a woman will soon knock on your door; a spoon indicates the arrival of a gentleman. (In some parts of the world, the fork means a man, and the spoon a woman.) Unexpected or unwelcome visitors are also presaged by the dropping of a knife that sticks in the ground and by cracks that form on the shells of eggs boiling in a pot of water.

* If you are engaged or wish to get married, according to an old belief once common in England, you should take care to never sit on a kitchen table, for this will break the engagement and also prevent you from ever being wed.

* There are also numerous kitchen omens concerning bread. It is considered unlucky in certain countries to wash a bread-knife on a Sunday, cut both ends of a loaf of bread, leave a knife stuck in the loaf, or take the last slice of bread. Accidentally dropping a slice of bread with the buttered side down is also said to be a bad omen; however, it is a good sign if the dropped bread lands with the buttered side up. If you and another person reach for the same slice of bread at the same time, an unexpected visitor will soon appear.