“I can’t cook”!

How often do we here people say “I can’t cook”? What a load of nonsense!

My wife is going to be laid up for a while, and for the first time in years, I have regained control of the kitchen. Gloria has a real passion for cooking, and it must be frustrating for her not to be sufficiently mobile to be able to do so. However, having been cooking again over the last two weeks, and most importantly, being in charge of the shopping and planning of meals, I have remembered how much I enjoy it too.

Whilst I was cooking today’s Sunday lunch (which was very good, even if I say it myself) I was thinking that those who say they cannot cook probably cannot be bothered or are simply impatient over timing or have no imagination.

I agree that to be a great cook, you might need both imagination and talent (which our own Fay must have), but anyone with a watch, a little patience and a clear half an hour must be able to cook a simple meal, surely? Are the “can’t cook brigade” the same people who tell you they cannot learn to swim, run a business on their own, maintain a relationship with a partner or learn a foreign language? Alternatively have I slipped into a coaching mode and perhaps need to lie in a darkened room with a cold compress?