I remember when Robin and I were first married. Our meals left a whole lot (of take out) to be desired. I was one of those silly emancipated women in my teens. Emancipated from what? Heaven only knows! But I considered myself one. Maybe I liked the sound of it. Yes. That's probably it. You know the type. The outspoken girl who says "I refuse to be the kind of woman whose husband expects her to wait on him, hand and foot." (Little did I realize that when you fall in love with someone, you want to wait on them, hand and foot. And if you're lucky enough to have married a man like I did - then he wants to do the same for you too! But that's a whole other story.)
.
Back to the cooking part. Or lack of it.
.
Well, being emancipated and all, I just plain refused to learn to cook. Maybe refuse is too strong a word. Let's put it this way - whenever it came time to cook, I was hiding in my bedroom studying. Or practising piano. Or anything else that would get me out of the kitchen, for that matter. Robin knew this. Well, he knew it in theory. Poor guy! I wonder if he had a clue what he had gotten himself in for when he married me?
.
Anyway, imagine his horror when we arrived home from honeymoon and it was time for dinner. And I sat glued to my spot on the couch pretending that my stomach growling was background noise on the tv! Imagine his further horror when I said I didn't even know how to cook a bowl of rice! I had to phone my mom and ask her to speak me through it. Literally. "Hi Mommy! Yes, we're fine thanks. Ja, um, I'm um, well, kind of cooking. No, I'm being serious. Really. I'm cooking. OK, I'm trying to cook." ... pause while she cackles in the background... "Mom? Yoo hoo? Mooooommmm?" ... hang on while she tells my dad I'm cooking, and he too erupts into guffaws in the background... "Mom! I need your help. What am I making? I was thinking of making rice. No, I don't know what with. Right now, I'm just making rice." ... pause while she tells dad I'm only making rice for supper. Both of them split a hernia again as they erupt into laughter. Again. ..."OK Mommy, I'm going now."
.
Nah, it wasn't actually so bad. Really. And she actually did help me figure out how to boil some rice. And she didn't really laugh at my expense. Heaven knows, if it had been me on the receiving end of the telephone call, I'd have been lying flat on my back, immobile with the laughter! But my mom isn't like me. She's kind and thoughtful. And careful not to offend.
.
Needless to say, I'm not a big fan of rice. Or cooking. Actually, I really dislike cooking. Well, more the standing in the kitchen part, while everyone else is lazing around in the lounge. That's the part that does me in. Truth be told, I just don't like feeling left out. Which is why most of the meals I make now (and yes, I actually DO cook now.. Mmm, more now and then...) are quick and easy. Make that VERY quick and VERY easy.
.
I have a friend who is the most organized person I know. And she's a dang good cook too. And she's really pretty. And she's having her second little one on Tuesday next week! (Hello, Hanlie!) And... anyway, she once mentioned to me that she works out a menu plan for the month, then buys her groceries accordingly. And then when it's time to cook every day, she doesn't have to wonder what to prepare. I thought that was mighty clever. And it seems to work for her. As for me - I'm one of those people who starts thinking about food preparation pretty much around the same time as my tummy starts grumbling. Which makes for very rushed preparation. With very few ingredients, what with all the nibbling of them that takes place during preparation. How about you guys?
By the way, we decided not to go ahead with any cataract surgery for little Buttercup. They can fix her eyes. But it would cost just a little more than ten thousand bucks (that's about $1400 U.S.) to do it, and it would mean six weeks of eyedrops six times a day... and her body could still reject the new lenses. So, it just doesn't seem worth it for us, if she doesn't even know any better anyhow. I must admit I'm really relieved about it too - I couldn't imagine having to be the one "torturing" her everyday to get her to sit still while I put in the eyedrops. Maybe it's a cop out. Either way, I'm happy with our decision.
10 comments:
Hi Char, hey I feel very honoured that I made it on your blog. But things have changed...now my housekeeper cookes lunch (she has the menu planned out) and when supper time comes around, it's also the thing of standing infront of the cupboard and seeing what ingrediants I have. hehe...
I love to cook...now. I didn't learn to cook until 3 or 4 years ago.
At one of my bridal showers I overheard my husband's grandmother ask my future mother-in-law, "Can she cook?" Ouch! I didn't expect to feel pressure from HER!
Anyway, I do enjoy cooking. (Will you still like me after I've admitted that fact?) I grew up seeing my mom prepare a weekly menu and a shopping list from it, so that's what I do. I like only having to think about "What's for dinner?" once a week.
I love to cook, when I have the time and energy. Otherwise, dinner ends up being whatever I happen to have on hand....but SOMEDAY I'll do better. (I've been saying that for 6 years now).
Char's cooking rocks, although come to think of it, cooking is a whole lot more fun when we are in the kitchen together.
Get Char onto puddies & it's to kill for!!!
ahh... gender roles and getting the work of life done together as a couple. it's a challenge. we began our relationship thinking, "throw some of those gender expectations out the window, and let's work with our strengths." We chose our household chores based on what bugs us the most. So my hubby became the dishwasher and I took out the trash. We soon discovered that neither of us had a "gift" for cleaning the toilet, or vacuuming, or making the bed. So we're sorting it out now. We take turns cooking now. I'd say I"m better at the day food inventory and planning, but we enjoy working in the kitchen together. We've also declared Fridays "Beer and Pizza night", so we never have to think about that...
I think you rock, Char, and I have an award for you. Come see!
Buttercup seems happy enough just as she is -- and sometimes those surgeries, even though there is a benefit to them if they work out, end up traumatizing an animal. It's just not worth jeapordizing her sweet personality for so much unknown and expense.
I love cooking, but hate the cleaning bit.
Char,
Ouch on the price of Buttercup's surgery!! I am sure your Buttercup is lucky to have you two surgery or none!
As for cooking you may like the link to Overwhelmed on my blog. She does 5 Ingredient Fridays. Tons of people give their Fav recipes.
I have a love hate realtionship to cooking :).
Amy
recreational viagra use cost of viagra viagra facts viagra results buy viagra in canada viagra jokes viagra doseage effects of viagra viagra liver damage viagra from canada lowest price viagra effects of viagra on women viagra oral jelly cheapest viagra in uk
Post a Comment