Are women supposed to cook in a relationship?
I have never been a person who enjoys cooking. In fact, when I was younger, I always thought how rude it was for people to say that “the woman” is “supposed” to cook. That is partly the reason I never learned. I was going to prove all those misogynists wrong, if it was the last thing I’d do!
My kids don’t miss any meals, but I’m rarely the person who cooks it for them.
Fast forward several years later, I’m now a mother and still struggling with daily meals. When my boyfriend and I first moved in together, he, being an excellent cook, attempted to “learn” me a few things in the kitchen. I’ve tried my hand at a few things—shrimp pasta, spaghetti, steak, etc. But I know my strengths and my weaknesses and cooking is simply not for me.
That listed prep time is usually inaccurate.
It’s so time consuming to have to look up meal ideas and recipes. Watching tutorials makes the prepping take even longer. I also don’t like touching all those ooey gooey things, I don’t know what seasonings make what taste like what, I get nervous standing over fire, and I cannot successfully cook more than one item at a time… It’s just a very frustrating process for me. And after all is said and done, half the time, the food doesn’t even taste good! (Okay, okay. More than half the time, but who’s counting)? On top of that, I’m a picky eater and our two little humans are very challenging to feed, as well.
If you’re from the South, you’re automatically supposed to know how to throw down in the kitchen and everyone eats spicy seafood. *insert eye roll*
Let me just give you slightly more insight on the latter. I am originally from Mobile, Alabama, and my other half is from New Orleans, Louisiana, which is where we reside. My Atlanta-born, but New Orleans raised daughter despises spicy foods of all types (how?!), and my two-year-old son loves spice! When we go to restaurants, my daughter wants to order scrambled eggs… She doesn’t even eat seafood! Like, really?! My son, on the other hand, has a more diversified palate. The problem with him is that you never know when he is going to eat something, even if you know for a fact that particular food is something he likes. He has a tendency to beg for chicken nugget-French fries, (please read that as one word); however, he does not often eat chicken nuggets. In short, I’m usually ready to give up with “figuring out food” by the middle of the day.
If you have someone around you who can really cook, why even bother?
I actually come from a family full of professional cooks, some who were even restaurant and café owners back in the day when it was rare for people of color to own their own businesses. Here we are in the middle of 2019, and I cannot even tell you the last time I put food on the stove that I didn’t “outsource.” I’ve never even cooked Ramen noodles before. (I ate well in college). But. I’m turning over a new leaf.
Although my man cooks, it isn’t fair that cooking and making dinner is solely his responsibility.
I have come to the realization that I need to make a change, and that change starts with the way I look at cooking. If I were to view it less as a task and more as a crafting experiment, perhaps I can learn to revel in it. (I love crafting)! So, I decided to look up several different meals to try. Because the man of the house has such a refined palate, I wanted to be somewhat creative, but not too far from my relative “comfort zone.” I began by choosing the meat and planning the meal around it. Ultimately, I decided on Fettuccine Alfredo, Green Beans, and Parmesan Pork Chops. After researching recipes, I headed to the store to grab all of the ingredients, and then off to the kitchen to prepare this grande meal.
After spending hours on a supposed forty-five minute meal, (I told you I couldn’t cook more than one thing at a time), dinner was ready to be served. The best thing was the Fettuccine Alfredo, and it was still missing something. I added stuff to it, too. At some point, I had to give up. It was bed time and we hadn’t even eaten! I don’t know guys. Clearly, I need some help in the kitchen. As it stands: Cooking is Not for Me.
If any of you have a favorite or go-to recipes you’d like to share, please leave me a comment below.
We do like well-seasoned food and we don’t have any dietary restrictions. Help! How do you decide what’s for dinner?