1. I do not particularly enjoy cooking.  I think part of the reason is that I tend to find cooking to be boring, but I also think the ephemeral nature of food poses a problem for me.  I like creating things, but I also like being able to go back to my creations, to enjoy them, to critique them, to track my progress over time.  I could make a dish again, but it’s not the same.

2. I feel like I’m the only female I know who either 1) does not possess a great deal of culinary skill or 2) does not enjoy cooking.  I think I broke.  I’m all for calling it feminism, though, because…

3. While I never really had the impression of reversed gender roles (because I know females who like to cook and are really darn good at it–hi, Sarah!), I always sort of viewed that as something guys did.  I never had the impression that cooking was something women do.  My father is pretty skilled in the kitchen–the man makes the world’s greatest mashed potatoes–and he did most of the cooking during my formative years (on the weekends when he was actually home at night to cook).  My brother didn’t do much cooking until he went to college, but then he started learning, and he’s pretty good; I wouldn’t say he comes close to my sister’s skill level, but he’s good and he can and will follow recipes.  Plus, he makes killer maple burgers.  Then I dated someone who cooked.  I never did.  The men in my life have always cooked for me.  They’d be hard at work in the kitchen while I…stayed very far away.

4. I firmly believe, however, that breakfast is a meal reserved for men.  If nothing else, men should have to cook breakfast.  Breakfast food eludes me.  I just can’t do it.  I can do scrambled eggs, and that’s about it.  I still manage to screw up oatmeal from time to time.  Ok, a lot of the time.

5. Speaking of oatmeal… where in the sam hill is the Quaker strawberries ‘n’ cream oatmeal?  That was my favorite as a child, and I’ve looked on Quaker’s website, so I know they sell that flavor on its own, but all I can ever find are the variety packs of oatmeal.  I don’t mind the peach or the blueberry, but there’s something unsettling about banana oatmeal.  I refuse to eat it.  Then I’ll come to the boxes, open them up and discover that I ate all the oatmeal and the only thing left is the banana.  All I wanted was strawberry.  Is that so much to ask?  Apparently.  Quaker, please fix this.  Strawberries ‘n’ cream oatmeal for the world, I say.

6. When I do cook, I tend to get frustrated.  You see, I’m generally a fairly creative person.  However, when it comes to cooking, my mind goes blank.  I can never think of any meal ideas.  I can think of maybe five.  That’s a huge part of my problem.  You’d think it wouldn’t be, because I eat food, after all, but, no, blank slate.  Nothing.  Nada.  Hope you enjoy one of the four things I can make.  If not, I can direct you to the cereal.

7. Yet another problem I have is that I have the palate of a seven-year-old.  This is fantastic.  When I go to parties for seven-year-olds.  You might be surprised to know that this doesn’t happen quite so much.  I don’t do fancy food.  That’s possibly because I am the World’s Pickiest Eater, but I get anxious about such things.  I cannot go to fancy restaurants unless I look up the menu beforehand online and can find something edible, and even then, it’s not something I want to eat, just something I can.  I’d be perfectly happy with a hamburger and fries or chicken and rice, and I’d much prefer that to something like stuffed chicken or crab puffs.  Actually, I wouldn’t like either of the latter two.  Have a seven-year-old who might like to hang out?

More quick takes can be found over at Conversion Diary.