Being around a new group of people sometimes affords you new insights about yourself.
In the times I have spent hanging out with the women in our new community here, I have noticed the conversation continually circling around culinary delicacies. Trying new recipes, what fun new spice or ingredient was discovered in the market, and other such fine-tuned kitchen skills. Kitchen-savvy is a wonderful hobby that blesses a lot of people-- I just don't really like it.
I began to notice this when, after several group gathering where pot-luck sign-up sheets are passed around, I seem to keep bringing the fruit salad. When there are gaps in the menu, others rush to fill in the blanks... and I let them.
My mother has great skill in the kitchen. She says that it is from the years of practice, and that one day I too will have this gift. She says that my stage of life is what keeps my interest displaced from the kitchen. There are those times that I crave a particular dish that motivates me to cook...a yummy soup in the winter, a unique refreshing salad in the summer...certainly chocolate-chip-cookies year round! But there are few days that I gain any excitement from trying out a new recipe for dinner. And on the days when I do...well, a kitchen overflowing with excessive dirty dishes squelches the return of that desire for months!
Earlier I would have said this is partly my husband's fault. If he really enjoyed home-cooked meals, then I think I would get into it more. He seems just as happy to pick up Chinese take-out. (We live in China- is there any other kind?)
But I began to question this theory yesterday when Jim perked up when another wife mentioned she was cooking chicken wings for dinner. Chicken wings? Who cooks chicken wings for dinner? Then I began to think that my husband WOULD be more interested in home-cooked meals if the menu for the week was:
M- Fried chicken and french fries
T- Chicken wings and mashed potatoes
W- Tater Tot Casserole
Th- Pizza with breadsticks
F- Chicken Fried Steak with extra gravy... you get the point
But this entry is NOT about criticizing my beloved husband. It is about accepting myself... So here it is. At least in this season of life (though I will leave myself some room for growth in the future) I don't like to cook. And I'm OK with it. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go start supper.
Trend Alert: Snag Amazon’s Hot New Releases!
5 hours ago
3 comments:
If it helps you feel any better, I feel the same way!! Especially the part about dirty dishes squelching any creative culinary flights! On the potluck sign up sheets, I always head for the dessert section. I feel I might not be totally humiliated in that arena. Maybe these things skip a generation, like sewing seems to also.
If I could get away with it, I would eat an all "fried" and carb-full life, too. However, since that wouldn't be my best choice, I think contributing to your local community (i.e., take-out noodle shops) is the next best thing.
Yes, I think we make a significant contribution to the local economy with Chinese take out...
So if it skips a generation, then maybe my girls will fare better than me!
Post a Comment