Comments on: Cooking: recreation or drudgery?

By: Judith in Umbria

Judith in Umbria — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 08:23:06 +0000

BellaDonna, I have a bunch of leisure activities to fall back on, but still like cooking, especially since I am NOT responsible for the eaters’ nutritional or dietary needs, which was what made me nuts as a mum.

Micheal, really, pimiento cheese is as easy to make as a peanut butter sandwich with no jelly!

By: Mr. Henry

Mr. Henry — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 21:02:20 +0000

Too true, Michael. As Senator Jim Webb points out, rednecks are the last group you can make fun of with impunity.

You could buy pimento cheese on any U.S. army base in the world, but here in N.Y.C. it’s absolutely not for sale.

By: Michael

Michael — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:47:23 +0000

Mr. Henry,
For the ultimate grilled cheese experience, try a southern favorite: grilled PIMENTO CHEESE. But where can you get it in NY? There are groceries for Peruvians, Ukrainians, and Haitians, but is there one for American southerners?
Michael

By: La BellaDonna

La BellaDonna — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:41:44 +0000

@Judith: I think you may be discovering for yourself something I always wondered about – if you take your hobby and make it your full-time living, what will you do then for fun? I’ve seen a few folks go that route, and too often it seems to have spoiled the hobby, without providing a replacement.

I was always more concerned with being ABLE to make a living, and was darn glad I was flexible enough that if one thing wasn’t making enough money to live on, I had something else to help bring in the cash. I wasn’t worried about “spoiling a hobby.” However, when the option became available, I did opt to sew either as a gift or strictly for myself. It’s not that I objected to turning one of my skills to earning money; I objected to having it undervalued.

Fortunately, people both really like to eat, and really need to eat, so I trust that you are able to keep boredom at bay with that reflection.

By: Judith in Umbria

Judith in Umbria — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 10:08:36 +0000

I have been cooking since I was 5 or 6 years old. I had a 30 year career in a creative field and coked for fun. Then I moved abroad and went to culinary school as soon as my language skills allowed. Now I cook for money.
Cooking has usually been a pleasure for me, but when I had to cook 21 meals a week whether I felt inspired or not, it was profoundly boring a lot of the time. I know it isn’t fun for everybody, but it’s the only way of knowing what you are ingesting and what those loved ones are getting inside them. I sympathize with today’s home cooks. It’s a jungle out there!
I think if you hate to cook and generally don-t cok, you should learn one fabulous dish and make it your signature.

By: Mr. Henry

Mr. Henry — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 14:57:19 +0000

For the past two weeks Mr. Henry has been a stay-at-home-Dad himself, and boy, are his feet killing him.

You can be a progressive guy and still hate to cook. So long as someone in the family has the knack, good meals will appear on the table, meals that maintain and perpetuate the romance of the family.

By: Glinda

Glinda — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 23:52:38 +0000

Even though my mom worked full time, she did ALL of the cooking.

And, I am a SAHM who does ALL of the cooking.

And yet, both my dad and my husband are two of the most progressive guys you will ever meet.

By: Twistie

Twistie — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 01:26:21 +0000

In my home growing up, cooking and baking were unisex pursuits. Yes, my father spent more time baking while my mother spent more time on meal cooking, but my brothers were expected to learn to cook just as much as I was, and we all took an ocassional turn in the kitchen feeding the family.

Clearly the Twistie household was well ahead of the wave, since we were doing this before Elvis left the building.

I am so cool!