Men cooking....

billsica

I will only cook if I have other guys standing around me, pointing at the food and offering advice on what to do, play by play.

It is called grilling, and comes with a beer.

cookingwithtrace

I have always been the cook for our family. In college it was the best way to get a date (offering to dinner), and I write a cooking blog (www.cookingwithtrace.com).

It is not gender specific and it is a skill that all kids should be learning for their health. Good luck!

bcattoes

My husband is a wonderful cook, but for some reason he can only cook most things in large amounts. You'd think he used to be an army cook by the amount he always prepares.

He does make the best blackened catfish though. I'm thinking of asking Bobby Flay for a throwdown.

onefitdiva

Wow so many great responses! This is excellent! :bigsmile:

Fit_Canuck

Agreed Diva, cooking is an art form and the skills only get better with time.

alishuman

My husband is a truly masculine man - no one would EVER say he has any feminine tendencies. And he LOVES to cook. He worked in a high end restaurant for years... Making these beautiful desserts; hand tossed, brick oven pizzas; killer bruschetta; and entrees that needed all these sauces and garnishes...

My son is almost 10 and ALL boy: he loves shooting targets, fishing, going on wilderness hikes with his Gramps, wrestling, working on the truck with his Dad...And he absolutely loves to cook as well. He is ALWAYS in the kitchen, helping me with just about every meal I make. He's actually pretty proud of himself for knowing how to use the Cuisinart food processor safely, how to handle knives, and how to be safe at the stove. The other day he did his first 'solo' cooking - he baked banana nut muffins to surprise his sisters for breakfast. I was completely hands off - just had to watch and answer questions he had. His future wife will love me for teaching him how to cook.

Both my husband and my son love the science behind cooking - I'm always explaining things to my son like why we use baking powder in one recipe, baking soda in another, and both powder and soda in a third... How yeast works... Why fresh pineapple ruins jello... And he is learning to love Alton Brown as much as his Dad!

"Traditional" gender roles are changing. More and more, society is willing to allow people to truly explore their interests and passions without looking down on them because it's "feminine" or "masculine." My girls love to shoot .22s, go fishing, and ride ATVs as much as their brother...

Learning to cook is definitely a skill everyone should have. Suppose your son should never marry or find a life partner... Should he be forever relegated to eat Ramen noodles or take out because he has no one to cook for him? Really, a cooking class will only prepare him for the future - either as a possible career path, or in knowing how to take care of himself, should he choose to live alone as an adult.

liftingbro

I love to cook and my wife finds men plenty manly. :laugh:

My cousin is male and is a Chef. In fact many of the best Chefs in the world are men.

Your hubby needs to get off of it. Cooking has never been a feminine job, most executive Chefs before the last 20 years or so were almost always men. In fact, women being so involved in fine cuisine is relatively new as it was rare to find female chefs at one time. Granted, 50 years ago the woman's role was to do all the cooking at home but in the food business it was male dominated.

eayal002

I'm going to defend your Husband here. Getting paid to cook is very manly, cooking for the family is viewed as more feminine. That doesn't mean it is the responsibility of only females, it just means that it is viewed that way in our society. If I told you that I cooked dinner while my wife hooked up our new surround sound system it would sound strange to most people. Not because either of us is incapable of doing those things, but because in our society they are viewed as outside usual gender roles. To argue against this point is to ignore the culture that we live in.

I don't think your husband is a Neanderthal or an idiot. There are a lot of things in our society today that push young males to be kindler, gentler and softer (generally more feminine qualities). Your husband is probably just concerned that your son could travel too far in that direction and lose some of the aggressive "male" nature that will help him later in life. No man wants any of their children to become a doormat. Instead of just dismissing your husband's concerns as outdated or sexist, try to understand his real reservations and look for an understanding you can both live with.

Arny

The kid has the right idea, where better to meet a bunch of girls and maybe get some digits than cooking class.

adding this, your husband should be high 5ving! Kid got this figured out at 14!

HisPathDaily

I cook 95% of the time at home ... and do a significant amount of the domestic cleaning too. While I love to, I still enjoy doing it to serve my family too. It takes more of a man to serve than to be served.

_xoxok

I don't think there's anything wrong with him wanting to take some cooking classes... It's obviously his passion! I'm 19 & I still don't know what my passion is.... lol. Plus, the ladies will love it

ekz13

I'm with most on here it's not feminine at all.. it's a skill, I cook all the time.. and my son learned it before he moved out just the same as my daughter will be able to change a tire or battery and her own oil.. these are just skills that improve your life knowledge..

and honestly, chef career aside.. what woman wouldn't love a man that can cook for her instead of her having to take care of him for the rest of his life..

alishuman

If I told you that I cooked dinner while my wife hooked up our new surround sound system it would sound strange to most people. Not because either of us is incapable of doing those things, but because in our society they are viewed as outside usual gender roles.

I'm laughing at this because... This is what would happen at my house. I hate cooking, my husband hates tech stuff.

deliak2010

Lol your husband sounds a lot like mine . Pay him no mind and let your son do what he loves to do! There is nothing feminine about cooking and, if anything, I think it makes a guy so much more intriguing!! It's interesting because, like you said, some of the best chefs in the WORLD are men! But your son seriously sounds like he could be a contestant on Top Chef or Chopped! With creative ideas like that and being able to cook an entire dinner w/minimal direction from you, that's AMAAAAZZING . Let him do his thing and have a talk with your husband about learning to nurture your son's talents so that he can thrive. For the future, it will definitely be very important, if not crucial, for your son to have the encouragement of his father so that he can feel proud and motivated to achieve his dream, whatever it may be. Good luck and happy cooking/eating!!

kubicak

It's true that back in the olden days, women were the ones seen in the kitchen in their cutesy aprons, preparing meals for the whole family. Go back even further, and it was the men that were the hunters and the women stayed home with 'household duties'. But when you really think about it, the woman took what the man had and made it edible; made it feed the family, even for several days at a time, and provided nutrition. If you ask me, that's far more important than the man bringing home the beef (so to speak).

These days, things are revolutionized so that you see so many men in the kitchen. Bourdain, Ripert, Batali, Flay, Ramsay, and so on - all men. And manly men, at that. Well, maybe not Batali ;D Does your husband think they're all foofy girly girls? Would he like to challenge Gordon Ramsay to some rugby first, then make that decision?

I say you tell your husband to back off and let your son do what he wants to do if it makes him happy. In the end, your son won't secretly hate his father for stifling his creativity, and let me tell you, if you've never dealt with massive father-son resentment rivalry, it's best to avoid it.

mikethom

I love to cook! I love to entertain and feed my friends! I'm afraid I'm having a hard time even beginning to sympathize with your husband.

Saruman_w

I don't think it's feminine at all. I wish I could cook...

monroe61

It is not feminine at all. My husband is a "manly" man and he is the cook in our house and he is damn good at it!

Good for you for letting your son try the class out and signing him up for it!

polarsjewel

You've heard this a hundred times now, my husband is a chef. There is absolutely nothing feminine about being a chef. Maybe he was thinking home economics. There is nothing sexier than a man who can cook!

jgic2009

Even if it WERE feminine, would that really be so bad?

sportsjunkee70

I love to cook!

I constantly watch the foodnetwork. I enjoy going to the kitchen stores and looking for new toys for my kitchen. When I go to the grocery story I am always looking for new ideas for dishes. I always want to try new recipes and would love to open my own family style sports bar/restaurant.