Beyond Fabric • Learn to cook

Learn to cook

As the 21st century is on full throttle, so are our beliefs, traditions and common practices. Long goes the time when men were supposed to be the sole providers for the family, whilst women stayed home performing household duties and raising the children. Nowadays, there are more and more women taking on high paid jobs in important corporations and betting it all on their careers (some do it while their husbands raise the kids). We are experiencing an ever growing role exchange in our professional and personal lives: men are performing tasks and activities that were once exclusive to women and vice versa.

Cooking is one of those. Not taking into account worldwide renowned chefs (the majority being usually men), this is still taboo for many men out there. Luckily, this tendency is shifting as more and more men are getting hands down with food and kitchen utensils. Guys, fear not! No one is putting your manliness on the line…it’s just evolution, plain and simple. The flow of nowadays lifestyle is placing men in touch with their inner cook for all kinds of reasons: necessity, fun, pleasure, professional, you name it. I, for one, love cooking. As I’ve been living by myself since I was 18, I was basically “forced” to learn how to cook, especially since I didn’t want to go bankrupt by eating out on a daily basis. The truth is, after Cooking 101, I grew a passion for it that continues to this day (I even considered taking a second course) and have gotten fairly good at it, at least according to my friend’s feedback.

For me, cooking is a relaxing and creative process where you can let your imagination run wild as possibilities are endless. Furthermore, you’ll be looking after your health since you can control all the ingredients, which makes homemade meals that more healthy and will help keep you fit. Start by reading a few simple recipes or asking your relatives and experiment: the worst thing that can happen is you cooking a god awful goo that will end up in the garbage. Try it until you get the hang of it and have fun while doing so; then, start adding different spices and experimenting with the flavours, just try to imagine which ones go well together. As you progress, I guarantee you’ll enjoy it on some level and on top of it it’s a great to way to impress that special someone, treat your partner to a fancy romantic dinner or just have all your friends over for a good time.

As a part of Beyond Fabric’s periodical posts, expect to find new recipes every two weeks or so. Keep an eye out for them!