Hapless Chef

While I am not an avid fan of Junior Masterchef Australia, (much prefer Iron Chef or Top Chef), this show has succeeded in making me envy that children at such a tender age can cook way better than me! *bah*

Unfortunately, the closet cook did not get very far in her cooking escapades and an article in last week's Sunday Times stirred up a bout of guilt especially since some of the writer's comments sounded an awful lot like me. *shifty shuffles*

A few truths that hit home *ouch*:

The assumption is many of us learn how to cook once we leave our parents' nest to get married and start a family. But so many couples I know don't have the energy to prep and cook a meal after work. And with fewer people having children anyway, it is probably possible to go through life without ever having to whip up a self-made meal. Imagine that.

These are all practical excuses, no doubt, and as a 30-year-old who has only just discovered the joys of cooking, I would be a hypocrite to pooh-pooh them. Give me some late nights at my new job and MasterChef-me might soon retire in favour of take-out.

But what does irk me are those who don't cook but proceed to wear their ineptitude - or even apathy - like badges of honour. Declaring that you can't fry an egg, or that Maggi Mee is the only dish in your repertoire is neither cute nor endearing. It's just sad.

Modern women seem to be especially guilty of this, with some seeing it as a way of saying 'I wasn't born to cook and clean'. It all sounds like psuedo-feminist nonsense if you ask me. Surely being able to look after yourself is a better way to prove your independence?

- Queen in the Kitchen by Sandra Leong, Sunday Times (17 April 2011)

While it's not too late for me to pick up that cook book, perhaps a stylish apron might incentivize me to do better? Hmmm....