we’ve come a long way, baby….not
Dylan forwarded me this link he received from one of his married buddies. To Dylan’s credit, his email was titled “Stupid Idea” and I like to think the only reason his friends were forwarding it is because they, like me, were mocking the sad state of affairs it hints at.
I was inspired to write a testimonial to these people, but then discovered that their “Read What Other People Are Saying” section was not open to public posting, so I’ll share it with you instead.
Dear National Men Make Dinner Day Organizers,
I actually think it is a great idea…but only because your website provides a forum for women to meet other women who have married men so pathetic and lazy that they require the motivation of a fake national holiday to get their fat asses off the couch and learn how to use a can opener.
On second thought, after reading your Recipes section, if some poor woman’s knuckle-dragging mouth-breather of a husband is going to make her ONE meal, and she requests a pecan-date (and mayonnaise) cheese ball…well, maybe the lucky domestically-challenged Mr. will earn enough points that she’ll put on something from Frederick’s of Hollywood circa 1982 and they can have 1.3 minutes of sex.
Sincerely,
Anonymous, from the 21st century, U.S.A. (p.s. it is nice here, you should visit sometime)
Carmen, and 
Emilily are discussing.
Carmen 5:31 pm on November 5, 2009 Permalink
There’s alot going on here and its all pretty funny (if you can get over the whole premise of the main idea). First of all, Its possible Dylan was saying “stupid idea – yeah right i’m gonna make dinner, thats what restaurants are for”. Secondly, pecan-date-mayonaisse-cheese balls! yum! I love balls!
This is all very foreign to me due to my live-in chef boyfriend who just made Cassoulet the other night. However, I remember growing up with the lady of the house making dinner every single night and that was considered normal. I would imagine that that is normal for about 90% of Americans no matter what part of the country you’re in. Gender roles are changing far and wide right about now because of this weird economy turning the tables on the breadwinners. It turns out that the women are the ones who still have jobs and are bringing in the sole paycheck. So, I’m really in full support of National Men Make Dinner Day because they need a little help! The kitchen is a scary place for some people and they need a little boost to get over it. Be brave Men!
I really like the FAQ part of the website:
Q. I once asked my husband to pick up a round steak for dinner. He came back from the store lamenting that they only had rectangular-shaped steaks. Should I help him with the shopping stage of ‘National Men Make Dinner Day’?
Emilily 6:11 pm on November 5, 2009 Permalink
I think (hope) Dylan was saying “stupid idea” because he believes an adult male should have mastered the fundamental skill of feeding himself, but you do bring up an interesting point. Just like you are coming from the perspective of someone who practically eats at five-star restaurants every night from the comfort of her own firehouse, I am coming from the perspective of someone who’s dating pool is populated by unmarried (ideally) 30-something men. If these guys haven’t progressed beyond the Cup O’ Noodles that sustained them throughout college, they are probably losers in more than the cooking department. However, to the 90% of the country you refer to who might benefit from this, they probably married their husbands in college or high school, at which point these man-children transitioned straight from their first mother’s dining room to their second mother’s…I mean, wife’s…table. This may be the first time it has even been suggested they cook dinner! Who can blame them? It’s not their fault, and I hope that somewhere, one of them discovers, and finds true joy in, a long repressed love of cuisine that will in some small way justify this thinly-veiled suggestion that women belong in the kitchen the other 364 days of the year.
Boy, am I ever opinionated today. I think I had too much coffee or something.
Carmen 10:34 am on November 6, 2009 Permalink
So I was talking to Max about this (as he was making dinner last night) and his reaction when I said “Hey, Its National Men Make Dinner Night!” was “Just like it is every other night in restaurants all over the country.” Which brings a whole different perspective that I hadn’t considered. The majority of people working in restaurants are men and the majority of chefs are men! So this whole NMMDN is a big F-you to all the hard working chefs out there. Well, I tip my hat to all you restaurant industry folk out there because I could never do that job. I would run out crying on the first night for sure.