Okay, I’m not sure non-foodie is
even a term, but it definitely applies to me. I don’t cook. I don’t collect
recipe books, or exchange recipe cards. My TV is never tuned to the cooking
channels and I don’t know one celebrity chef from another, and I never post
food pix on Facebook.
I know. You’re gasping – pressing
your hand to your heart wondering what kind of woman doesn’t like to cook? Now
before I send everyone screaming in shock, I do know how to cook. I just don’t like
to. I guess I come by it honest. My mom was an okay cook but her family were
grocers so she fixed meals that mostly came from boxes, cans and bags mostly. My
dad, a southerner, handled the biscuits and bread pudding. My husband’s family on the other hand made
everything from scratch and my mother-in-law taught me how to make noodles from
scratch. I’m not completely inept in the kitchen. I can bake some mean
Christmas cookies.If you’ve read any of my books you’ll see that none of my heroines are foodies either. If a scene requires food I’ll usually mention spaghetti or casseroles. Nothing fancy here. The good news is my heroines don’t seem to mind the lack of kitchen time and they always get their man in the end.
I always feel bad when there’s a fun promotion for one of our books or on the Love Inspired forum that suggests everyone post their favorite recipes. I don’t have any. I was a good mom and cooked meals while the kids were growing up. I just don’t enjoy preparing food or coming up with dishes to eat each day. When we have pot luck with friends or at church, I have to bring something precooked.
I think I might have been more
inclined to experiment, but hubby is a meat, potatoes and corn kind of guy.
When we moved to the Deep South we did learn to eat crawfish and gumbo, though I
never mastered the basic foundation of cooking in Baton Rouge – “first you make
a rue”. Nor did I master the art of deep fried catfish when we moved to
Mississippi. 
I’ve come to realize that being a good cook is a gift much like the ability to write a book. My son understands flavors and food combinations and what tastes will work well together. He loves cooking and baking and inventing new recipes. That’s a gift the Lord gave him because he surly didn’t get it from me. However, give me a big back yard with nothing in it and I can create a space you’d never want to leave.
Or ask me to sew up a costume in two days for my granddaughters and I’ll deliver Elsa in all her glitter. Sigh. But food?
Alas my poor heroines will be lacking in the culinary department. I know I could do research and create a heroine who’s a chef, but there are so many other professions I would like to learn about more.
Okay so how many of you aren’t that fond of cooking? I know I can’t be the only one who would rather clean house than cook. Or dig in the dirt in the garden than dig inside a chicken.
Whew. I feel so much better. My secret is out. Now, where are we going to go to eat tonight? Five Guys? Logan’s? Maybe a fish house…….
Lorraine Beatty
Posts
Lorraine -- I think we are twins separated at birth. I can cook and do cook basic dinners, but don't like to. My son studied culinary arts. I do enjoy baking for the holidays and have made some mean costumes and other clothing over the years.
ReplyDeleteLorraine, while I love to cook, when my youngest son comes over he does the cooking. He likes to create new dishes and I get more time with the granddaughter. Its a win-win in my book.
ReplyDeleteOh, I hear you. There are people who eat to survive and those who eat to enjoy. My husband does the baking. His pies are a delight to all. I am surprised that my children have good memories of my cooking. Good to know I'm not alone.
ReplyDeleteWhew.I feel so much better. Jean - I think you're right - we have to be related.
ReplyDeleteI really love the summer time because then my hubby grills every night.:) My kids have good memories of my meal too - go figure. but at this stage of my life I'd rather write and spend time with grands. Two of mine are already grown up and the three little one won't be little much longer. don't want to spend time in kitchen, unless it's to decorate it. :)
Lorraine, I'm right there with you. I don't like to cook. My daughter and son-in-law, who live near us, both like to cook. They watch cooking shows and know about celebrity chefs. I always love getting invited to the house for dinner. A few years ago when my two daughters were together, the subject of cooking came up, and when I mentioned that I hated to cook, they were shocked. I had always cooked for the family because that's what mom did back then. I did remind them of how many times we ate out during the week while their dad was out of town for his job. I mostly cooked on the weekends when he was home. The one thing that I do cook that everyone loves is homemade pizza, and for some reason, even the cooks in my family can't duplicate it.
ReplyDeleteLorraine, your post resonated with me.
ReplyDeleteMy name is Keli, and I'm a non-foodie.
I can cook, but, like you, I don't derive any pleasure from it. I joke that if we were to have our house remodeled, I'd have the builders put in a drive-up window where the local restaurants could drop off meals.
I knew I'd find some lovely and talented like-minded folks out there. LOL Thanks for reassuring me that it's okay to hate to cook. :)
ReplyDelete