by Onyinyechi Ugwoke
Typically, an African woman who is unable to cook or do house chores is considered not ready for marriage. It’s almost a crime if a woman can’t cook. The core duty of a wife is making a home for her family – doing house chores, birthing children, and caring for her family’s domestic needs in which cooking is included.
Even in this modern age where many gender roles are reversed, the age long belief that, “a woman’s place is in the kitchen still holds in many homes.” But more people are coming to see such traditional stereotypes as limiting the prowess of women.
With more women getting educated, coupled with economic downturns we now have wives who joggle home and career duties, leaving them little time to care for family. Some men are understanding enough to employ domestic workers who reduce the burden on their wives but other men are not so keen on keeping domestics.
“What matters most for me are the qualities she possesses as a woman, not whether she can cook and clean. I am good at cooking so taking over in the kitchen is not a problem for me, Yomi says.
Favour is of the opinion that technology is making things easier for everybody, so why the continued gender stereotyping, “I am not against women doing stuff such as home maintenance but in this age of science and technology and improved standards of living, why should a woman stress herself in cooking when she can afford to pay for a chef.”
His sentiments are not shared by Dennis who feels that good cooking skills are a prerequisite for a wife.
“I would never marry a woman who can’t cook, dating them is different but I’m not prepared to put up with a lifetime of bad food,” he says.
Lateef agrees with Dennis as he feels a woman who can’t cook and is not willing to learn should not be married. “I have a problem with a woman who can’t cook. I am the kind of person who dislikes restaurant food. So, for my wife to say she cannot cook or not willing to learn, it is going to be a problem.” He believes people should not neglect the old adage that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. There is this bond between a man and his wife when he eats from her pot.
For many women cooking is a hobby. Shola says, “I have a hard time understanding how people can say they can’t cook. I was very fortunate to have grown up in a home where food was a central component of family gatherings. My parents did a lot of entertaining for visitors.”
Chidimma, a food blogger shares the same opinion, “I love to cook, and I love how it makes people happy to eat what I have prepared. It is very much a creative outlet for me. I enjoy making new recipes.”
Back in the day, girls were taught to believe their place was in the kitchen preparing sumptuous meals with their mothers. Those rules don’t apply anymore. Cooking is a survival skill and not just for a particular gender.
Is a woman worthless if she can’t cook?
What is your opinion??
I would rather not be pointed in my question..
What’s African is that the ability to cook good food gives you that edge.
Personally, I will choose Chidimma who cooks well over Onyinye who cannot.
And I know most men will
No
I won’t say she is
I sugest every gender have equal right items of domstic activities. E.g, Cooking and doing some house choice…but the key point here is cooking.. this 21st centuries have opened people’s eyes . Every one has the right to cook …the bible said women are helper that does not mean they should kill them self while cooking. Now the first woman to brake record is ngozi okonjo iwela. A very vibrant and intelligent woman. Will her husband command her to cook except she decide . Summary: no one is exceptional.
She is not
A woman is not worthless simply because she can’t cook, there’s a lot more to a woman than just cooking, the earlier we do away with this stereotype of a woman’s place being in the kitchen, the better.
Cooking can be done be any gender. I don’t agree that a woman is worthless if she can’t cook.
Women should learn how to cook.
But cooking shouldn’t be a yardstick to regard women worthless in a marriage
Cooking skills are an important skill for a wife to have. Personally, I don’t mind a wife that doesn’t cook all the time or at all. But it is nice to know that your wife can prepare a good meal if it comes down to that. And there are added benefits to cooking at home, it is healthier and more cost-effective. When a family’s finances are tight, or for the sake of the children’s health, if a woman cannot cook, that responsibility falls to the husband. When cooking should be a task shared by both spouses.
As for me, I have always been an eat out eligible bachelor. Weather or not I get married to a lady that can cook, it doesn’t really matter. I can always cook my indomie in any worst case scenario and enjoy myself. We moveeeee.
No, a woman is not worthless if she can’t cook. Once she can pay for the service of a chef, it’s still good. The important thing is that there is food at home thuo knowing how to cook is an added advantage for her but she can’t be tagged worthless for her inability to cook. I believe that the major thing that matters is the woman’s behavior and her support in the home.
A woman ain’t apparently worthless if she can’t cook. But provided she is not too stiff to blend…
In a nutshell. If she’s blendable and knows nothing at all. I’ll still be cool with her. Cuz learning continues and never ends. I’ll teach her. #oluwafemi_tom
Nice write-up
She’s not worthless if she can’t cook, cooking is not primary factor that attracts me to a woman, a woman who has other great qualities should not be denied marriage or termed worthless because she can’t cook.
Rather for me, I’ll teach her how to cook even if it means registering her in a catering school. That would make a perfect cook. She might also want to learn some of my native food, that would be an add-on
I have to say this with all sincerity not minding another people’s opinion.. For me my wife has to know how to cook.. it’s very necessary.. i will be understanding of cause depending on her choice of career and work load and we can have a help yes.. but once in a while I will love to taste my wife’s cooking.. that’s all..
Well ,for me technology ,science or not a women should know how to cook at least even though she can afford a chef. There are food husbands would prefer wives do themselves .
It is a good thing for a woman to know how to cook if she doesn’t know how to it doesn’t mean she is worthless
No, a woman isn’t worthless if she can’t cook, but it is necessary for every woman to learn how to cook, not just cook but make good food that is appetizing. Good food is soothing to the body
No,a woman isn’t worthless if she can’t cook.
I am a Nigerian lady, and I love to cook alot because cooking is part of my hobbies. As a lady, it is a core duty for us to know on how to cook very well.
Although,a woman who don’t know how to cook might be as a result of her up bringing. But she should have in mind to enroll in to a cooking school to learn on how to cook very well. For a good meal, is part of what keeps a happy family together.
For there is a saying which state’s that, a woman place is surely based in the kitchen.
It all boils down to ethnicity and our values. On one hand I agree with lateef and Dennis. On the other hand I feel a woman is more lucky with an understanding husband. Speaking about me, I’m not at all enthusiastic about cooking. I do it because I don’t want my family to starve. I meant to cook out of duty and not because I enjoy doing it. But my man has no problem going into the kitchen and preparing breakfast, lunch and dinner for us. This doesn’t go unappreciated by me because I know that it is very rare amongst our men especially with Igbo men. A woman is not worthless if she can’t cook, she might have tried and failed countless times at the same time she might have not given it a try at all for fear of failure. Every woman should be appreciated nonetheless irrespective of their cooking prowess. Thank you.
Being able to prepare your own food is a skill that everybody should possess, just like being able to wash your own clothes or clean up after you. That does not make an individual worthless if they CAN’T do it, it just means they ALWAYS have to depend on other people to eat cooked food. My point: cooking is not a skill or art reserved for women alone.
Whether it’s the wife who cooks the meals in the house depends on each couple’s choice. I however don’t see anything wrong with both partners participating in meal preparation or employing someone to do it if they choose not to.
Nooo. She is not worthless same as a man is also not worthless when he cannot pay the bills alone
Cooking should not just be a woman thing, both gender should be able to do that