How To Handle Moving In Together - Part 3: Cooking Dinner

By HA_Guy

I started cooking to impress women – one woman to be exact. When I met easyB I knew I’d found a girl that was worth the extra effort. So I played my “Hey, look how awesome, well rounded and desirable I am because I can cook” card early on in the relationship. (Probably a bit too early in retrospect.)

Good news: It worked. She bought it, agreed to make out with me and now we live together.

Slightly less than good news: I’m still expected to cook. Apparently that card I played is still on the table, despite my best efforts to pretend I never played it.

But even though I’d rather sit on my ass every night while she slaves over dinner, I’ve realized sharing the cooking duties goes a long way in maintaining a relationship.

So if you’ve found yourself living with your girl and contemplating manning the stove, below are the three most important things to remember.

Why it’s a good idea in the first place.
Other than the simple fact that it’s great to eat good, home-cooked meals that didn’t come out of the microwave, there are several reasons why it’s a good idea for a man to cook.

A] It’s a turn on for women.*
B] It fosters a loving, caring relationship based on equality and teamwork – which is a turn on for women.
C] I think A really says it all.
D] There’s not much I wouldn’t do if it satisfies A.
E] Are you still looking for more reasons? Did you read A?

Don’t get flustered.
When you do cook, rest assured it won’t always go according to plan. Sometimes things get burned, sometimes sauce gets spilled, and sometimes you eat half of the meal before you’re done preparing it. Don’t get frustrated. Women love a guy who can turn a bad situation into something funny or unique. (Sometimes it turns them on.)

And remember, no matter how bad you screwed up the meal, ranch dressing fixes everything.

Mix it up.
We all have our specialties. I’m good with pasta, pancakes, potatoes and meat. I’m terrible with desserts and anything related to vegetarian meals. (I don’t believe in meals without meat, as I don’t enjoy being hungry right after I eat.)

But no matter how comfortable or uncomfortable you are with certain foods, it’s important to branch out and try new things when you cook. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself having a conversation similar to the one I recently had.

Me: I’m hungry. Are you hungry? I’m hungry.

EasyB: Yeah, I’m pretty hungry.

Me: What should we eat? We’ve got plenty of food to cook.

EasyB: I don’t know.

Me: You feel like cooking? We’ve got chicken and fish and stuff.

EasyB: I’m pretty tired actually. I really don’t feel like cooking.

Me: Oh. Ok. No problem. I’m not that tired. I’ll cook.

EasyB: Thats ok. You don’t have to.

Me: It’s no big deal. I really don’t mind. I’ll cook.

EasyB: Nah. I really don’t feel like pasta.

(long silence)

Me: So….you’d rather just order pizza….wouldn’t you.

EasyB: Yes. That sounds great.

So keep the above morsels of wisdom in mind, and enjoy slaving over the stove in hopes of getting some action.

HA Guy

*It’s possible women invented the “men cooking turns me on” theory as a ploy to trick us into volunteering for household chores. I’m not 100% certain as of yet. But when it comes to cooking it’s worth the risk. You’ll at least get some food out of the deal. Just don’t let her try and take it too far. If she’s got you cleaning the shower or scrubbing the toilet because “it turns her on”, consider yourself played.