#Microblog Monday 422: Who Do You Cook For?
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I read the dek on an article about Deb Perelman that caught my eye. When I cook (and I don’t ask the other person what they want), am I choosing what I want to eat? What I think the other person would like to eat? What I think we should eat? Or… something else.
It’s a thought-provoking question because if we cook what we want to eat, there is a 50/50 chance the other person may not like it. If we cook what we think they want to eat, there is a slightly better chance the other person will like it, but the cook may not. If we cook what we think people should eat, we may end up off the mark. It’s an interesting question: trying to make two or more people happy, all with the same dish.
What do you think about when you choose what you’re cooking? Unless you’re not the cook, and then how often do you sense the meal revolves around your tastes?
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6 comments
Sometimes I make what nobody likes – because I’m experimenting!
(Usually it’s a mix of what I want vs what others ask me to make. There were very few things I would make for my husband that I didn’t also like. But when I made chili for him, the kid and I would eat something else.)
I feel like we gravitate towards making meals in our household that everyone will eat. Some like it more than others, but I know everyone will eat enough to be satisfied. We also have each child pick a meal for the week so they have some say in choosing something they will like and can help prepare. When having company over, I 100% think about what the other people would like to eat. I often have to include more kid friendly options when we have guests and stay away from fish/seafood.
Here are the factors that affect my cooking choices:
a) What’s available in the fridge or freezer 🙂
b) How much time I have too cook
c) What am I in the mood for.
I take suggestions from family members, but if I’m the one cooking, then I’m the boss and get to decide.
When it’s just our family, I feel like no matter what I make, at least 1 person is going to be not thrilled about something. I try to cook so that if there is a food type that someone doesn’t like, they can easily pick it out (personally, I don’t like carrots in soup – so I just don’t eat them… but everyone else in the family likes those carrots just fine). There are a few things that I am the only one in the family loving, like eggplant and mushrooms. I rarely make these things, but when I do, there is usually something else to go with it that everyone will eat. (But I do demand that kids eat at least a tiny bit of the stuff).
When we have guests over, I would check with them if they eat x, y, and z and will do my best do accommodate dietary needs.
When I cook, I think there’s a WAY BETTER chance than 50-50 that the other person will like what I cook! lol I do take into account what the other person/people might like, and check with guests their likes/dislikes/allergies/needs in advance. (Recently, I remembered a friend’s issues and had to despatch the husband to the supermarket to get a replacement ingredient mid-cook!) The said husband does have a few dislikes, and so I wait until he’s out with friends before I cook those things (for eg, mushrooms, prawns). There are some things I wouldn’t cook for the two of us that I know I can get away with if we have guests.
I would probably eat differently if my husband shared the same likes and dislikes that I have. That would be wonderful, but I wonder if maybe, it could be a little boring? I quite like the challenge of finding things that we both like. I think cooking food people will enjoy is part of my love language.
And yes, I cook also what I think we “should” eat sometimes. If we’ve been lazy or eating out a lot, then I know it’s time to cook and eat more healthily.
We have similar tastes in my home, so chances are what we make will make the other person happy. We’ve been doing Hello Fresh, and I realize I have been choosing the recipes. But I pick things I think we’ll both like. Interesting question!
I’m posting my #MM on a Tuesday… that’s the kind of week it’s been…!