Why Young Boys Need to Learn How to Cook

Growing up my high school had a Home Economics class. 

Despite the fact boys could enroll in it, no boys in my class ever took the course.

It helps to understand that back in the 50s and 60s being a young male meant being ultra-macho and leaving cooking and housekeeping up to the girls.

Little boys played with weapons of war, trucks and cars. Little girls played with dolls and pretend ovens that turned out bland cookies and mini cakes.

Fast forward.

As my wife Shirley and I's three boys grew up, she made sure "Her" boys knew how to cook. She was determined to make them self-supporting men in all ways, including how to cook meals.

Lucky for them the mid 70's didn't emphasize toxic masculinity, and young men were cooking in communes. I'm not sure if there were Home Economics Classes when they attended school. 

But our boys had a private tutor (Mom) that meant to teach them about the mysteries of cooking. She taught them the basics of cooking and let them use their imagination. They all loved the opportunity and weren't shy to share their skills with friends.

All three of our boys are now first-class cooks and are proud to share their creations in family gatherings. None cook for a living. However, if they wanted to, they could.

I admit that I was no for model for them when it came to cooking. I couldn't boil water without a problem. Sometimes it came down to me (and the boys) to make a meal if Shirley was sick and unable too. Luckily for us all, she was a healthy young thing, and it didn't happen too often.

After I came back from Vietnam, and we were dating, Shirley was stunned to see how I ate. My little apartment contained can food and frozen dinners. That was it. And I still had a bad habit of eating straight from the can. Pork and beans for instance.

Realizing you can't teach an old dog new tricks Shirley took it upon herself to feed me real food. That's probably when she decided that if we had boys, she'd be sure they could cook.

As far as I know there's no longer a stigma for boys/men to cook. As a matter of fact, it's become a matter of pride to be a good cook. Go to a Bar-b-que competition and most of the entrants are men.

As it stands, young boys should be given the same opportunity to learn how to cook as young girls as they grow up. Self-sufficiency is a good thing for everybody.