Did you know that the first Thursday in November is National Men Make Dinner Day? I don’t know where this one came from, and I think I’ve been blindsided by it just as much as many of you probably have! Until this year I had never heard of this particular jab at the modern male – the insinuation that we don’t cook the other 364 days of the year.
Well, maybe some men don’t. However, most men that I know at least cook several times a month, especially in the summer when the bar-b-q can become their best friend.
OK, now that the shock, surprise and ranting is over, let’s take a closer look at this newish Men Make Dinner Day and see where it comes from and what the concept truly is behind this movement.
First off, let’s set the record straight. This National Men Make Dinner Day isn’t an officially sanctioned government holiday, so we can get off the hook – as long as you can live with the consequences later. Secondly, it’s not for those of us who cook on occasion already, but more for the man who “helps with household chores, has a sense of humor and is a great all-around guy, loves his wife/girlfriend, kids and pets, …BUT NEVER LEARNED HOW TO COOK.” At least that’s what the National Men Make Dinner website has to say. In addition, there are rules to this thing! Now I’m not going to go over every rule, but I do want to bring a couple of the more interesting ones to your attention. If you want to review the entire list, you can check out the website at the link above.
Rule number four says that the recipe that is used must have four ingredients. Whoa, hold up! Don’t you think that is a bit harsh? I mean come on … I can think of quite a few recipes that have three ingredients or less. Maybe it’s the old intimidation factor, trying to get us guys all worked up about the number of ingredients, fearing that more ingredients mean it is a harder recipe. Fear not my fellow men! More ingredients don’t necessarily mean it’s harder to cook, just that it will taste better!
The next rule that hit me the wrong way is rule number nine. Number nine says that you have to clean up as you go along. What ever happened to doing the dishes after dinner? I don’t know why this rule is in here other than to give the man an obvious distraction at a time when he has to be focused on cooking the food. Just provides another chance for him to mess up, that’s all. Men, personally I would try to get a concession on this one. It will work out better for you in the long run (plus maybe you can bribe one of the kids to do the dishes after dinner!).
The bottom line is that this National Men Make Dinner Day is a new movement, and totally shocking to those of us who already cook from time to time. Ah, but a quick peek behind the scenes and we realize that this was all drummed up by 93.9 BOB FM, a CHUM Radio website, which is, in turn, a division of CTV (oh Canada, oh Canada, how you have let us down on this one!). OK, so it’s all in fun, and that’s great. Maybe it will encourage some of you slackers out there who have never bothered to find your way around the kitchen. And maybe, just maybe, it will foster a new bond between you and the one you love the most 
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Comments
CannedAm
November 5th, 2009 - 9:15:02 AM
Ahhhh, this is great. But I have to say, if he's an 'all-around great guy' he knows how to cook and he can put together a 5-course meal without breaking a sweat or any glass casseroles! In my home, the most complex recipes are prepared by the man. I spend enough time in the kitchen that I really don't have the motivation for 20+ ingredient dishes. Husband, however, makes them seem simple. He also brings home the bacon, can bake it, wrap it around some chicken breasts, crumble it on top of salad, or treat a kitten with it. Come on, only real men can cook!
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