Just as the kitchen is seen as the heart of every home, the kitchen is the center of the community. Deals were made in the kitchen, much as they are today. In many cases, the playing field was leveled between the sexes and the races. In average homes, both the men and women helped out in the kitchen, although the men would never let their peers know. In the more upscale homes, where servants or slaves could be afforded, women both black and white had to toil together to get things done. And this place was always hot, which is why many times it was completely separate from the rest of the house. But, it still invited people as a perfect gathering place, a place to spy and steal, and a place to raise up young ones.