Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

I’ve moved into my own place a month and a half back and when people learn about it, without fail, they ask about how my meals are settled now that I’ve moved out.

Well, it depends. If either my wife or I end our day late (say past 7.30pm), we’ll usually eat out. If not, I’ll cook. And when people hear the words “I’ll cook”, they give a very surprised expression, and they will usually follow up with asking, “You can cook?”

Is it anything strange that guys can cook? I think anyone can cook if they want to. Of course, you can’t expect me to whip up restaurant standards but I can do decent home-cooked meals. A couple of dishes and a soup really isn’t rocket science, just that it does take some time to prepare, cook and clear the dishes.

The learning process isn’t all that hard actually. As a kid, I would watch my mum cook and after a while, you pretty much get the idea behind cooking. All that’s left is some trial and error to put to practice what you’ve observed (which I did when I lived on campus during my undergraduate days) and you are capable of doing decent meals.

Actually, cooking isn’t all that fun to me. I don’t dislike it but I am not particularly fond of it either. But, what I like is the enjoyment of a home-cooked dinner at my dining table with my wife. The enjoyment of eating home-cooked food that I cannot explicate but I like that feeling.

Of course, coming up with ideas on what to cook can be pretty bothersome. You won’t want to repeat what you cooked last week. Now I understand why my mum complains that it’s difficult to plan a meal.

3 Responses to “Is it odd that a guy cooks?”

# samon 21 Feb 2008 at 11:57 pm

i cook too! cooking’s fun. cooking is only good if you’re cooking for someone else though. you cook for yourself and you eat it, it feels a bit lonely and sad. the bad thing about cooking is, you take an hour or more to prepare, just to finish the thing in a short time, then you clean up. it’s still worth it feeding the ones you care about. it makes me very grateful for all the times my mum cooked for me.

now i realise how lucky you guys are, getting your place. it’s like a 4D draw for my fiancee and i when we’re doing the ballotings and bi-monthlys. the market is insane now. *pulls hair*
# Aaron Ngon 22 Feb 2008 at 1:13 pm

sam,

The only thing I can do now is to wish you good luck. It’s a bad time to get into the housing market now. If not, think about doing a higher degree overseas, especially in the states. They’ll usually fund you and you’ll get your own place much more easily. By the time you come back, things should have cooled.
# samon 22 Feb 2008 at 3:37 pm

thanks. my “higher degree” is with cnm (hopefully) haha. and of course, if the phd comes, i’ll look overseas (as that is also encouraged). i still love cnm and nus (and singapore in general) any way, nevermind the fee hikes and endless group projects and assignments.