Do girls like men who can cook?

[Biosophilogical]

I don't get it; what is so repulsive about being able to prepare food? Even at the most animalistic level, it's a fantastic survival skill. From a civilized viewpoint, it's practically a resume-worthy skill. Hell, put it right there with "speaks Spanish and Afrikaans". You'll be known as "the guy who brings those delicious canapés to the office". How is it manlier and more attractive to be incompetent, it makes no sense!

Because cooking well is portrayed as having its own kind of finesse, it doesn't match the overly masculine view of brute strength. Sure, you can say physically difficult tasks like carpentry could have 'finesse', but at that point you are kind of stretching the word to its masculine extremes.

So yeah, certain skills are not only associated with femininity (cooking, sewing, dancing, etc), but also incorporate an anti-masculine trait (in the case of cooking, it tends to be flair or finesse). Now I'm not saying that men cooking is a bad thing, I myself love to cook (I'm male), I'm just trying to say why I think it may be considered a bad thing, though I think an important point is that it probably matters more to other men than women, seeing how competitive and insecure men can get about their gender identities.

dude, basically all the best professional chefs in the world are men...

That wasn't what I was stating. I was referring to the effects of gender roles on people's perceptions of a man cooking. Even in reference to proffesional male chefs, it is rarely (if ever) their cooking skill that expresses masculinity. They can be respected for their phenomenal skill, but I have never seen someone say, or look like they want to say, "Wow, that guy cooked me an incredibly fancy meal, how very masculine of him".

eh i've never heard anyone assign or even hint at assigning a sexuality through producing food...well outside the oddly shaped vegetable "joke".

you are saying it's feminine. i hear that. never have i heard anyone say such a thing in RL tho.

where do you draw the line i wonder ? is BBQ manly ?
what about gutting and cooking fish you just caught ?
or an animal after after hunting ? are butchers pansys ?

if your making a cake for a child is it manly if its in the shape of a transformer and the child is male or are you a closet homosexual because you cut the same basic cake into the shape of a pony and put pink icing on it for your little girl ?

sooooo many questions...

yes at this point i'm taking the micky

I'd say the manly line is drawn just before a roast. So basically if it is a semi-basic red meat dish, or is the result of a successful hunt (including fishing), then it can be cooked without any social stigma. Also, I think the social view comes from a lingering presence of the house-managing wife stereotype, where the female did all the household chores like cooking, cleaning, sewing, etc. Personally I don't think any more or less of a man (in terms of manliness) if they can cook. I think that a guy who can cook would be desirable for people interested in a male romantic partner, as it seems to show that the man will contribute to the relationship as a full member, rather than letting the woman do all the work while they hang out with mates and get drunk (or whatever hobby they happen to have). As in, it looks more like the is involved in the relationship by not having a clear dependency on gender roles, meaning the relationship is between to equal partners.

EDIT: Then again, I've never really thought about it, so I'm really just feeling my way through the topic and hoping for the best.

 

[feycreature]

Most, if not all of the girls I know, appreciate it when their boyfriend can cook. Aside from the fact you feel special and looked after when someone goes to the trouble of making you nice food, it also implies, that he's competent and grown up enough to take care of himself.

 

[epialesofaergia]

Being a good cook is as manly as being a good musician, only more so because cooking usually involves blood and dead animals in some form or another. Neither is inherently manly since they don't involve directly brutalizing anything, but most things don't.

Any guy who thinks cooking is worthy of mockery is either a lazy prick or is intimidated by any one aside from himself being good at anything. For any woman who thinks it's weak, firstly self-sufficiency isn't weak, secondly please try to work in a restaurant and reaffirm that point (tip: don't wear mascara, it will just stain the tear-streaks into your skin).

 

[feycreature]

WHY THE FUCK DID I READ THIS AS "DO GIRLS LIKE MEN WHO CAN TAKE COCK"
Oh god WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH ME

The answer there is still yes... but let us not try and figure that one out.

It's not that complicated. In the abstract, watching two hot guys can work for women the same as two hot girls for men. In the more personal relationship sense, it means you can have a threesome with no other girls (if that's your preference and your relationship). Besides, I've totally bonded with partners over noticing cute girls, being bi rocks.

There. Figured out ^^

 

[arsenicCatnip]

Oh man, a guy who can cook is generally a rare thing. I know that it always blows my mind when I have a boyfriend who can make me supper.

It shouldn't be a gender-based thing... my father and my brothers are three of the best cooks I know, and my boyfriend not only cooks, he makes an effort to get family recipes for the two of us to make together.

If you want to make something 'manly', may I suggest the recipes from artofmanliness.com? I have yet to try it but they have a delicious-looking recipe for roast chicken, as well as a few articles on the proper tools and skills you need for the kitchen.

 

[SleepyChan]

Oh God yes. As the oldest female in my household, I'm expected the cook every day, for everyone, and for every taste. Now, before you all state the obvious--yes, I hate it, and I know it's not fair. I know it's not my job to feed my brother or his children. But, because I do this, I'm not asked to pay rent by my father. I consider this a fair trade for now.

But the second I've got a place of my own and a man I like enough to share it with, I'm going to ask that he be respectful enough to share the load. I'm perfectly happy cooking for someone. I love it, in fact. I just hate that it's 'expected' of me. All I ask is this: If you CAN do it, Do it. Don't be such a lazy ass.

 

[ADDLibrarian]

I love a man who cooks, I'm in love with a man who loves to cook. All the women I know love men who can cook. Your friends are dicks for making fun of you and you need to find yourself some ladies who aren't going to be snobby bitches about it and will actually be grateful about it. Cooking is a fantastic skill to have. It can also be very sexy. As a lady, your honey makes you a nice meal...mmmm (in more ways than one).

 

[Smooth Operator]

Well your group of friends is either really young or you are really bad at cooking.

Either way keep those skills and improve them if nothing else do it for yourself, and yes girls do like that skill, just not those teenage bimbos.
And most notably that cannot be your sole relationship sales pitch, if you can attract girls with your personality, then cooking just sweetens the deal.

 

[Dashartha]

I am man who knows how to cook and my friends usually give me shit for it. All the girls I've been with think its weak.

*sputter*
Weak...? You, my friend are hanging out with the wrong type of women. Next girl that calls it weak, challenge her to do just one hour on a line at dinner rush on a Friday night...
How can it be weak? You're dealing with fire and sharp shit... How is that not masculine?

In my family the men cook. My mom, my sisters and my wife are all barely competent when it comes to food. Whenever I go back home, my dad and I do 7 course wine-paired dinners with amuse-bouches etc.... In what universe would that not get you laid?

And now I'm upset....
Salaam

 

[LikeDustInTheWind]

The guys are idiots who will be eating cold pizza their whole lives and the women are... well just plain stupid. Cooking is an awesome skill that should be cherished!

 

[zeldagirl]

YES. Cooking is awesome, and can be totally sexy, too. The girls you know are stupid. So are the guys.

 

[Fleetfiend]

I definitely want my man to be able to cook. Mainly because I can't. At all.

I'm trying to learn though, because I figure that is a pretty long shot. xD

 

[Plumerou]

i love cooking, i think its one of the most rewarding hobbies you can have, you work your ass off to make sure everything is perfect, you almost burned yourself a couple times for being careless, but when its finally done and its the time to just taste it to see if your hard work has given fruits, it is a great feeling when things go just as you wanted them to, and for me at least, it always cheers me up after i think i have done good in one of my college exams and it turns out i did horrible :X

 

[derbt]

I like men who can cook. And men who do their own laundry. Not being able to do those things is a massive turn-off. I have no interest in being my partner's mother!

 

[VonKludge]

If I was a girl, I would love to have a boyfriend to cook. Actually, since I'm bigender, I might as well just say I would love to have a boyfriend to cook. I'm lazy =P

aww would you look pretty at least?

 

[Hagi]

What type of cooking are we talking about?

Being able to prepare a decent fully nutritional meal? As in being able to cook, bake, boil etc. most types of meat, vegetables etc.

I'd say that's right up there on the level of having a driver's license. It's normal to have it/be able to do it by the age of 20, and it can decently be expected from people to be there by the age of 25 unless exceptional circumstances are present.

If it's being able to cook a meal so good that it rivals that of serious professional restaurants (the ones you go to for good food) then I'd say that's a matter of preference and hobby. Much like tasting wine and being able to distinguish between the various regions and such.

But if you're over 25 and you're unable to cook a decent basic meal consisting of meat, vegetables and starch without exceptional circumstances present then in my view you're only technically an adult. Your body is adult but you don't possess the skills that can reasonably be expected from an adult like using a phone, using public transportation on your own, using an ATM, using a computer or cooking a basic meal.

Seriously if you can't cook a basic meal, are over 25 and do not have a decent reason for it then you're an idiot. Simple as that.

 

[RedMagic]

I don't understand how being able to cook is a sign of weakness. It's a great skill to have since it allows you to be self-sufficient (it's a lot better than starvation, unless you plan on surviving by eating only ready made store bought foods). Plus, I think cooking delicious food and sharing it with your friends or significant other is a very nice gesture.

 

[elbrandino]

I'm a guy and I both can and love to cook. Any girl I've ever told about it was either neutral on it or thought it was fine. I've never heard of being considered "weak" for knowing how a life skill...