SO: if you're a man, and you put an apron on and reach for the recipe book and the cooking utensils, that robs you of your masculinity?
Penny Lancaster has been rash enough to propound such a theory. Tell it to Gordon Ramsay, Penny. I met him once. I can guarantee there's nothing wrong with his masculinity, even if he has spent a lifetime spent in a chef's apron.
I wouldn't fancy walking up to Marco Pierre White and putting Penny's view to him. Your opening gambit, "Marco, do you think your career has somehow made you less of a man?" would be followed by "There's really no need for that murderous glare, Marco," then "Please put that knife down, Marco," and, finally, "Can anyone tell me where the nearest A&E is, please?"
Poor Penny. Rod Stewart's better half did, to be fair, preface her comments (on the Loose Women TV show) by saying she agrees with equal rights. But, she added, she's slightly old-fashioned: a man's role is to be "the hunter gatherer, the macho man, looking after the family." At home, they should spend more time with the kids and be a strong role-model: going as far as cooking "takes the masculinity, and I would miss that."
To which you can only ask: are men so incapable of multi-tasking that they can't be a good role-model while cooking? What's wrong with men who want to share the burden of cooking, and provide a home-cooked meal for the family? How would single dads cope?
A BBC Good Food survey found that around a third of men assume sole responsibility for cooking in their households. Back in their fathers' day, that figure was just four per cent. Cooking a restaurant-quality meal makes more men feel more proud than learning a foreign language and using it on holiday, or even driving a fast lap in a sports car. Twenty-nine per cent described cooking as one of their favourite hobbies.
For my own part, I remember an early culinary disaster, when an attempt at a Madhur Jaffrey recipe led to one friend gasping: "How many ******* chillies did you put in this thing?" I think that was what she said: she was throwing back a large glass of water, and you know how difficult it can be to talk and drink at the same time.
The thing is, you learn from your mistakes. You progress. Ordinary men like myself enjoy the creative challenge in making a meal from scratch, for family or friends. But robbing us of our masculinity? Really? (Well, maybe in your case. Ed.)
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