February 17, 2010
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Basic Eggs
The man you marry will know the way he likes his eggs. And chances are he'll be fussy about them. So it behooves a good wife to know how to make an egg behave in six basic ways. And here they are, with helpful hints.
So begins the chapter on cooking eggs in my tattered 1973 edition of Betty Crocker's Cookbook. Ladies, oops I mean women, does this take you back?
Now I'm not saying that American women are so different than they were in 1973, nor are their responsibilities in the household greatly changed. As a matter of fact, I read recently that despite the fact that the majority of women hold down full time jobs, they still bear the burden of about 98% of the domestic chores. Women do the shopping, the cooking, the cleaning, the laundry, and the child care.
Even though cookbooks no longer appeal to a woman's desire to be a "good wife", advertisers still target women when marketing cleaning products and cooking shortcuts, which indicates they know their market.
So what happened to our liberation? At the risk of sounding like a Randy Newman song, we're free to be put in an unrewarding desk job, we're free to support our children on our own, but we are never freed of our biological need to make a nest and nurture.
I don't really have a leg to stand on here since I never had kids, but I watched my sister raise her three without help from their father so I know whereof I speak. I have women friends who, even though they have husbands, still are the only parent in the house.
So where am I going with this? I don't know, I just cracked up when I read that paragraph while I was making deviled eggs (which is the only food I can think of that I dislike) for my husband who was sitting in front of the TV yukking it up.
Comments (18)
I suspect the reason you decided to "get something off your chest" lies in the first few sentences from the cookbook that got you thinking. Then the more you thought about it, and the fact you are making deviled eggs, you became a little wrankled. Hence, you are just unloading on paper, which is a healthy thing. By the way, many single men work, cook, clean. do laundry, etc. In fact, some have done it so long that women who get to know them, realize, their domestic talents aren't needed. Thus, they move on looking for a someone who will let them takeover all that....wierd isn't it.
Blimey, I like your great big pussy cats. All three of them look very comfortable on the photo.
Women will never get away from their biological heritage.
I never had kids either. I remember once having to reassure the Finance Director of a company I worked for, that despite being in my late 20's and married, I was not going to fall pregnant while I worked for him, before he would agree that I could work in his department. And they originally only took me on for a 9 month 'secondment' for a special project, and ended up keeping me for 2 and a half years!
The same man did not approve of women wearing a trouser suit to work. You were supposed to wear a skirt and the other girls were flabbergasted when I, the new girl who knew no better, rocked in wearing my very best navy blue trouser suit (very smart it was, too). I was pretty peeved when one of them asked me if I'd had Colin's special permission to wear trousers! This was England in the late 1980's.
But Mike is working !!! he is making a kind of cushion with himself for the cats so they let you quiet for cooking the eggs !!!
I smiled ( with discretion ) at reading your post Judit . It comes to my mind the women looks "frail" but they are made in IRON instead of the men that are colosses in clay ! They need to be spoiled , cared , preserved etc ...
Just kidding Judit .
Will you accept a rose ,Madame ?
Love
Michel
@zarnicki - Without a doubt, we all love to be needed. And as you noted, some women aren't even attracted to a self sufficient man just as men like to be the knight in shinning armor for their damsel. Nurturing my family is my greatest reward in life and I do hope this post didn't give the opposite impression.
@StephanieWall - LOL! Did you change the office dress code with your brazen trouser suit? You shameless thing!
No kids?! The similarities in our lives are beginning to make me think that we may be twins, parted at birth by circumstances beyond our mother's control
@fauquet - I accept your rose with pleasure, Senor. (I don't know how to spell "monsuier"). And you are quite correct in your comment about Mike keeping the cats from under foot in the kitchen. I must learn to give full value to his contributions. It goes back to that thing about complimentary talents.
@fauquet - Michel's quote about women of iron and men of clay reminded me of my mom's favorite saying: Man works from sun to sun but women's work is never done.
I think what happened to women's lib is that in addition to "cooking it up in a pan," we also have to bring home the bacon.
I think things could have changed slightly.. if and when im in a relationship, i'm never the one who does the cooking (or maybe my cooking skills are so lacking that the men i've dated have no choice but to roll up their sleeves and do the cooking).
I'm with you on the child care part though. No matter how involved a man decides to be in raising the kids, it seems it will almost never be a 50-50 partnership and the majority of the burden usually lies on the woman.
The lap of luxury.
@AprilsPlace - Another one of those things that come under the heading of Be Careful What You Wish For? The women who really benefited from women's lib are the ones like StephanieWall and me who didn't have kids. We enjoyed the opportunities for advancement in the business world (more or less) that were usually denied to our mothers. Reproductive choice is a great equalizer.
@angelyn_lee - You sound like a very smart woman. My husband uses that tactic all the time. If he does do some chore that he doesn't like, he makes such a mess of it that I never ask him to do it again. Very clever, you two.
@queenie - Is there anything finer than a cat comforter? I think not.
@judyrutrider - Yes, I agree that control over reproduction has been a huge boon. I think that is a boon for men as well as women although they may not recognize that. I think that I personally had the best of everything. I finished my degrees, worked for a short while, had children, stayed home with them for many years, and was fortunate enough to be able to return to the workplace in a series of very satisfying jobs. I do remember clearly that in the early years of our marriage before we had children, all my extended family was amazed and even aghast that babies did not appear immediately. Interesting that.
@AprilsPlace - Now that's what I'm talking about, girlfriend! You can have it all with good planning, just not all at once.
Can you imagine the scandal in my extended family when I had my tubes tied at 24?!
@judyrutrider - Actually, no. What surprises me is that you could find a doctor willing to do it.
@AprilsPlace - Money talks. I had really good insurance.
Your cats are to blame because with cats sitting on you like that, you are required to sit still and focus on the television lest the cats be disturbed. I think everyone wants to be appreciated for what they are doing, rather than to feel that it is their responsibility. Even if it is a case of the man bringing home the bacon while the wife does the household chores, each should be happy with what they have decided to do, but at the same time not make the other party feel like it is their job to be doing what they are doing.
@Gringottsbank - True enough. My family frequently expresses their appreciation for my efforts in the kitchen so how could I not love feeding them? And as Michel pointed out, those cats would be underfoot in the kitchen if Mike didn't keep them entertained.
@zarnicki - Bingo!
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