Cooking

I'm a Cancer. At least, according to the astrological calendar, I was born under the zodiac sign of Cancer. I have this little book that describes the characteristics of Cancers, and it seems to know quite a lot about me. I find it odd that all of the millions of people born in a month would somehow be similar enough to be described in such terms, but that's a different discussion for a different time.

According to the book, Cancers are caretakers. And for a Cancer, the best way to take care of, or show love to the ones we care for is to feed them.

I don't know about every other Cancer on the planet, but this is true about me. I do show love and appreciation by feeding people. It's an even greater act of love (in my opinion) because I really don't like to cook. What I enjoy is serving the people I love good food. The more complex the dish, or decadent the flavor, the better.

Because of this, and the fact that I did not marry a chef, I have worked steadily at becoming a better cook. I think I have reached a point where I can claim to be a pretty good cook. I'm not great, and could definitely benefit from formal training, but I do well enough.

However, I still do this as an act of love. It makes me happy to please people with a delicious and home cooked meal. I am disappointed when my offering is not as good as I think it could be.

Because this is how and why I cook, it follows that when I am unhappy I have no interest in cooking. I can see that in the way we eat out. When I am feeling good, we eat at home more often. When I am not, we eat out a lot more.

So I wonder, how does this work in your home? Is one person principally responsible for the cooking in your house, or is it a shared task? If so, how is this decided? How do you appreciate the person that keeps you fat and happy? Or is this considered a responsibility that is expected and thus taken for granted? What do you do for the person that feeds you every day?