The Brutal Truth About What Women Really Think Of Guys Who Can't Cook
Is it endearing, because he's a walking stereotype from 1953? Pathetic? Or totally cool?
cottonbro studio / Pexels I love guys who cook. And I love it when he cooks for me. Sometimes I think one of the big things that won me over with my husband is the fact that he can not only cook but cook gourmet French meals to boot. It's awesome.
But as someone who actually only cooks a meal maybe once or twice a month, and usually relies on the handy Seamless Web app to sustain life, I feel like a hypocrite saying that I'd prefer him to be able to cook than not.
I think his ability to not just be comfortable in the kitchen, but be really good at what he does in there, is just further confirmation of how liberal and forward-thinking he truly is. I love that and use it to quell my fears about being hypocritical.
I asked the ladies their thoughts on dating a man who doesn't know how to cook. Is it endearing, because he's a walking stereotype from 1953? Pathetic? Or totally cool, because you're the Julia Child in the relationship anyway?
Here are what 13 very honest women really think of guys who can't cook:
1. I'm the Julia Child in our relationship, so it's cool
"I'm the Julia Child, and it doesn't bug me at all! We each have our strengths and hobbies. Cooking just happens to be one of mine." — Sabrina, 27
"I'm an aspiring Julia Child, and Kyle really didn't know how to cook so I've been teaching him. He made us dinner the other night and he can make lasagna and bake cookies by himself. He needs help sometimes, but he's willing to learn and try, which is very important. If he didn't care and just ate pizza every day or expected me to cook every time, it'd be a deal-breaker. I also don't blame him for it because his parents never bothered to teach him." —Amanda, 26
2. As New Yorkers, we're not big into cooking anyway
"Totally 100 percent cool if he can't cook because I live in New York and eat out or order in, anyway. But if he wants to cook, that is nice! That would be a nice but completely unnecessary bonus." — Jennifer, 27
"My husband and I both do not know how to cook. We have come to accept this and have a great relationship with Seamless." —Randi, 35
"Amen for Seamless! Why cook when we can go out or get delivery?" —Maddy, 30
3. If he doesn't cook, it's no big deal
"I've enjoyed many good meals prepared by my lovers, and I am a competent cook as well. But some of my very important relationships have been with men who don't cook or shouldn't cook. Everybody in my family is a good cook, so I'd rather he doesn't cook if he's bad at it." — Tracy, 37
"No biggie. I can cook, or we can order in or go out. And he can always pick up a thing or two as we go." —Sarah, 36
"My husband had never cooked. He only recently started cooking on his own, since my daughter and I leave for Japan for two months in the summer. I don't really care if a guy cooks or not. Though it would be fun to cook together, I do that with friends." —Mieko, 38.
4. It's all about learning and making at least some effort
"My husband lived on bachelor chow before we met: top ramen, hot dogs, cereal. When we started dating and I started cooking real food, he took an interest in learning, and now I'd say he cooks about 20 percent of our dinners." — Colleen, 30
"He has to be able to cook at least SOMETHING or be willing to suck at it trying." —Jen, 36
"I could handle it if he was willing to at least TRY to learn and didn't just expect me to cook all the time. Or, I suppose if he made enough money that eating out all the damn time wasn't a big deal (and he always paid on his night to cook). Point is, I don't want to have to be solely in charge of food every damn day! I am incredibly lucky to have married a man whose mother taught him all essential life skills and he cooks many things well. We each have our specialties and I'd say we split the food prep 50/50." —Becky, 29
5. Nope! He has to be able to cook, with no exceptions
"If a guy is over the age of 29 and can't cook for himself, at least a few meals, it's just sad. Not sad in like an English Patient sort of way, but sad in like Showgirls sort of way." —Kate, 31
"It was cute when we were dating. Not so cute anymore!" —Kelsey, 33
Amanda Chatel is a writer who divides her time between NYC and Paris. She's a regular contributor to Bustle and Glamour, with bylines at Harper's Bazaar, The Atlantic, Forbes, Livingly, Mic, The Bolde, Huffington Post, and others.