In preparation for the guy who is coming to fix the boiler tomorrow, I decided to de-ethnicize the kitchen. What I mean is that I turned all the Kiddush wine to the wall so you can't read the labels and hid the Jewish cookbooks behind a couple of magazines.
My partner didn't realise what I had done and put the magazines neatly away. I didn't say anything. It's kind of shameful so I didn't bring it up but I did put a different cookbook, this time a Chinese one, in the front to cover up all the Jewish ones.
Why did I do it? It's always horrible having workmen come into your living space. I think we make them cups of tea just to get away from them. But I always try to make myself like them, banter with them, because somehow I feel like they have this power over me and I have to make them not want to abuse me with it. So I try to make myself not too different, not ethnic. And I live in a Council flat where we don't even pay for repairs - so it's not about money or getting ripped off or anything.