Cooking for Nookie™

Have you heard the phrase? I always like to pretend I am in the know but things slip through the cracks in my world just like everyone else’s. One buzz word that has really caught my attention is Gastrosexual. When I first heard it I thought it was a new type of surgery or possibly some sort of sex/food affliction, like you can’t eat and have sex at the same time. Maybe some big pharma company came up with pill to help multi-tasking in the kitchen/ bedroom. But I was way off base!

The term Gastrosexual is a word coined by a British company called PurAsia, who actually did research and published a study in 2008 summarizing the emergence of men cooking. In looking into this a little more I found three definitions from urban dictionary:

1- A term used to describe men who cook, taking the household chore part away from it, and turning it more into a hobby, used to impress friends and prospective partners. More and more, women are finding a partner’s ability to cook as important as other attractive features (looks, personality, status, income, etc.)

2- Men who use their culinary skills to impress their friends and potential love interests.

3- A man who sees cooking as a hobby and not just a chore. Deeply passionate about analysis and innovation and creativity in cuisine.

On a side note: I have also heard it described as a skill men use to con a woman into bed. Hey, I am all for that unless it’s a lie! If you are lying or pretending to get a woman in bed, well – that’s just pathetic. It’s not that hard to be yourself and get what you want. I digress . . .

If you are like me and base some of your opinions on statistics (yes, I know – it drives my husband up a wall), here is what PurAsia discovered:

- 48% of those surveyed said the ability to cook makes a person more attractive

- 23% of men aged 18 to 34 years said they cook to potentially seduce a partner (only 11% of women cook to impress)

Ok…. Now what? There is your information, what are you going to do with it? Well, if you are a woman with a man who even attempts to cook for you . . . . praise, praise, praise him! I do not care if he makes you burnt toast and rubbery eggs. As we get older, it becomes more difficult to do something new. If you admire his attempts, before you know it you might have a mini- Emeril bamming away in your kitchen.

 If you are a guy, go for it! It’s obviously no longer a female thing to do to be in the kitchen. You won’t have to turn in your man card, you don’t have to be a chef, and you will be admired & praised for your culinary creations. You really don’t have to know what parsley is or make a huge anything to be admired. Start with something small before you kick it up a few notches!