You know that thing when you discover that you’re not alone? Today I was relieved to find out that I am not alone in my love of good food and dislike of cooking. See Only 10% of Americans love cooking.
I’ve come to think of cooking as being similar to sewing. As recently as the early 20th century, many people sewed their own clothing. Today the vast majority of Americans buy clothing made by someone else; the tiny minority who still buy fabric and raw materials do it mainly as a hobby. If that’s the kind of shift coming to the food industry, change leaders and corporate strategists will have their hands full.
And I think there is something right about that. The people I know who like to cook really like to cook. It’s a big deal. Like knitting. Or artisanal anything.
Or they’re the serious food fitness people who meal prep and track macros and who cook all their food on Sundays.
Without so many kids around to cook for I thought I might rediscover the joy of meal planning and cooking. But no. It’s not to be. Like choosing drapes or selecting dishes that match, this falls into the class of things I assumed I’d grow up and care about some day but I don’t.
See you at the prepared food sections of the local grocery store, or microwaving bags of broccoli, grilling the occasional cheese sandwich, scrambling some eggs, boiling pasta….all food prep that falls just shy of actual “cooking.” Except Christmas. On Christmas, I cook.
See past posts on my “meh” about cooking:
Probably only 10% of people ever liked cooking. The problem grocery stores are facing is that women are no longer forced to do it.
Good thought!
I actually love cooking. I hate shopping and having dishes to deal with.
We should team up. I don’t mind those things.
I can cook well and I prefer to make my own lunches, but, yeah, I really hate to cook, too. I tend to eat simple sandwiches, “salad plates” (a collection of whatever fruit and veggies I have, sometimes cut into manageable pieces, never cooked), or really simple meals (salmon and steamed broccoli). But, here’s the thing – I still eat really well. Maybe even better then some of my friends who love to cook.
I like cooking because I like to know what I’m eating. I’m picky and specific. So the best solution is to just make it myself.
I have found I have become pretty unimaginative…I cook the same things over and over. Mainly because I like familiarity and my husband has no preference. He is happy with whatever I am willing to make him.
I never cook at Christmas. I had bought turkey with all the trimmings premodern for many years…and then a few years ago I just decided I didn’t like the fuss of Christmas and we have nachos and wings. Lol
I admit…I hate all holidays. My mom always made them extremely complicated, stressful. I not sure my years of therapy will ever overcome this. Sometimes I feel bad for my kids, as we don’t have traditional holidays, but they seem pretty ok with it.
Anne
Another one in the “I like to know what I am eating” camp. So I guess I “like to cook” in the sense that I like having a lot of control over the ingredients and timing of my meals. Also, my partner enjoys making food, too, so it is never a chore one person takes on alone, week in week out, which would be the bigger problem for me.
I feel like there’s a lot of messaging out there that goes out of the way to make cooking appear more involved than it has to be. Take the sentiment in the comment just prior to mine: “I cook the same things over and over. Mainly because I like familiarity and my husband has no preference. He is happy with whatever I am willing to make him.” I think we get conditioned to be apologetic about this approach, but doesn’t that setup sound like a great solution?
I like baking more than cooking any more…..
Me too
I feel like there’s a weird shame thing with not liking to cook. I’m sure it’s tied up with ideas about feminity and frugality. I like “fun” cooking/baking sometimes, like for a holiday or birthday. But everyday cooking is definitely in the chore category for me! Food for thought, pun intended. Thanks for the post!