noodle

- Do you love cooking?
Yes, yes I do.

- Do you like cooking any more when you cook for others?
Doesn't really matter, but I do enjoy cooking for others.

- Do(es) your significant other(s) enjoy cooking?
Sometimes. But he rarely cooks.

- Do you feel obligated to cook, and does this taint your experience?
No. Because I prepare stuff in the freezer. If I don't want to cook, he can pull out one of three different meals out of the freezer or take us out.

- If you do not cook, is it because you don't know how, or because it simply doesn't suit you?

- How does your role in the kitchen differ from that of your mother? Grandmother?
My mother cooked because she felt she had to. My grandmother was paralyzed so she didn't cook. My mom thinks she's cooking healthy but it's a lot of things that are easy and not always that great for you. She's a great griller, though. I cook because I like to do things healthy and well.


For those of you who cook regularly:

- Do you see it as your role as a woman to cook, or do you enjoy it "just because"?
I cook because I like knowing what goes into my food. And I love to make someone else feel good because of something that I do well and enjoy.

- Are you frequently inclined to depend upon frozen meals, or do you prefer to build a meal up from scratch?
I make the frozen meals from scratch (chili, numerous soups) and I shop specifically for what we want to eat that week. It's mostly from scratch unless we decide to do something yummy from Fresh Market's deli and slightly prepared meats.

- Did your mother prepare your meals when you were a child?
Yes. Almost every one. We were pretty damn poor and a family of five

- How much do you try to incorporate Organic or otherwise healthful products into your meals?
Almost exclusively healthy products. Whole grains, limited fats, lean meats and organic canned products and veggies when good. I prefer splenda and can't stand the taste of butter so we're usually good.

- Do you take time to plan balanced meals in advance?
Yes. That's part of my healthy outlook, though it doesn't always work because the veg selection can be funky in Florida.

- Does it thrill you just as much to shop and prepare for the meals as it does to eat them?
Depends on how tired I am, but usually it's an okay thing. I'm rarely thrilled.

- Do you appreciate a helpful hand in the kitchen, or do you consider meal-making your "alone time"?
Depends on what I'm making. And if he's offering to do the dishes or take out the trash. Usually he's busy, so I don't mind doing it all myself. It's part of the process.

-Do you have a specific kitchen design that lends itself to your style of cooking or entertaining?
Yeah, um, NO. We don't entertain. We have no furniture save the dining room table... until two weeks from now. But we have great cabinet space, just not enough undercabinet lighting to see what I'm doing.

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