Is This Really Progress?
Posted on 16. Feb, 2007 by rebel in General
On the gender-equity front, the New York Times yesterday ran a slightly bizarre piece about alpha cooks that I am still trying to figure out. The piece is about the conflict in the kitchen between the more chef-oriented partner (apparently, this is usually the guy, based on the breakdown of anecdotes and the headline: “He Cooks. She Stews. It’s Love.”) and less cooking-driven spouse.
On the one hand, I think it’s terrific that we’ve moved to such a place in terms of kitchen gender roles that the Times can run an over-the-top article about how men have become little Napoleans of the rangetop, but the whole piece sounds like it’s trying too hard. Are alpha cooks on the rise? Is it mostly men? Is the Times plumbling for conflict where none exists? Does it matter? The piece doesn’t really answer any of those questions.
But in the larger sense, the emergence (if only in the minds of NYT editors) of cooking as a level playing field is a nice trend. The more that can be done to blow up the idea that cooking, wage-earning, cleaning, childrearing, lawn-mowing, etc. etc. are the sole domain of one gender, the better. But cooking style as grounds for divorce? That’s a reach. (Thanks to Keith for sharing his bookmark of this.)
Mrs. Coulter
16. Feb, 2007
Ugh. It’s an article about how some men are arrogant bossy assholes, who can’t cede even the tiniest bit of control to the women in their lives. It’s only “gender reversal” because women are stereotypically in charge of the home kitchen. There’s no equality involved-the men are the boss and they belittle the women until they drop out of the cooking thing. (Yes, I once dated a guy who had strong opinions on how to chop garlic. Yes, he was an asshole.)
L.A. Daddy
16. Feb, 2007
Hmmm. LA Mommy and I have our “kitchen issues.” But we have a fairly firm grasp of the rules (She owns the kitchen, I am blessed to be able to walk through it with her approval…)
Actually, I make dinner every night. If you count being a Microwave Master the same as “cook”, then I’m in charge. If LA Mommy is doing her thing in there, it’s her room. Neither likes it when the other invades and “disturbs our process” but this article sounds like it’s definitely over-the-top and it’s trying to create conflict.
Now, if we could just get some news coverage of what’s really important. Like Anna Nichol…
Jeff
16. Feb, 2007
Certainly this can be parlayed into an “Anna Nicole’s 14 boyfriends/child’s fathers did all the cooking” piece somewhere…Access Hollywood - you out there?
I do about 95% of the cooking in my house. I love the kitchen but never hesitate to have the Mrs. or my little girl helping out. I want to pass on my love of the craft not hoarde control of the spatula and sauce pan!
dan
17. Feb, 2007
We both cook at home…and share the responsibilities in the kitchen.
Though I do a bit more baking- that’s more my domain, as I’m planning on making/selling cakes for a living…maybe even a bakery. MMMMM, just what a fat guy needs. Anyway, my wife helps out, and when our daughter is old enough to wield a spatula, she can too if she wants.
(un)relaxeddad
17. Feb, 2007
I guess (its how the division of labour has worked out) I do about 30%, mostly because I’m not back in time to eat two or three days a week. About the only stereotypical diffference I’ve noticed is supermum’s tendency to only read half the recipe before starting and mine to spend about an hour lining every single ingredient up in neat little rows before hand. Goes without saying that neither of us can bear to watch the other in action for too long…