How do men feel about being the primary cook in the family?

Being the primary cook gets me plenty of brownie points from Gail - especially if I bake brownies.

I do most of the grilling and sometimes make ice cream. My wife is an accomplished cook, but as we get older we're always trying to watch our weight so she keeps it simpler than a previous time.
Has everyone noticed as you get older you cannot eat the amount you used to or the weight piles on.

I think that in most two-income households, the chores get split up based on the talents and interests of the couple. In such situation, I don't see how a man could demand that his wife fulfill the duties of a traditional housewife while also holding down a full time job with no help. In our case, my wife's job is actually more demanding and stressful than mine, so I really couldn't expect her to handle all of the household chores as well. I enjoy cooking and I do a reasonably decent job of it, so it falls to me to put supper on the table (as well as a cocktail in her hand after work's done). She's appreciative of my efforts, and that makes me happy.

She doesn't ask me to clean the cat litter or to do the laundry, so I don't mind doing the lion's share of the cooking.

I think that in most two-income households, the chores get split up based on the talents and interests of the couple. In such situation, I don't see how a man could demand that his wife fulfill the duties of a traditional housewife while also holding down a full time job with no help. In our case, my wife's job is actually more demanding and stressful than mine, so I really couldn't expect her to handle all of the household chores as well. I enjoy cooking and I do a reasonably decent job of it, so it falls to me to put supper on the table (as well as a cocktail in her hand after work's done). She's appreciative of my efforts, and that makes me happy.

You have that right and bravo for even realizing this. I was very fortunate, in that I did not have to work at first. I was on call with several dentists/orthodontists around town to fill in for their chair-side assistants while on vacation. As the kids came along, I donated my time to the schools and local hospitals while the kids were in school. It wasn't until our youngest was a senior that I accepted a position with the City of Redding and worked for them for ten years until I retired. There again I was fortunate that I was basically my own boss and chose my hours. I was home early enough in the afternoon to put a nice dinner on the table for the two of us. I like the way couples today split the chores. I am proud that our sons who grew up in our traditional home were smart enough to figure it out and have been good husbands. Funny thing too, is that Gene was a live alone bachelor for a long time and did cook for himself. With the business he was into, had I waited for him to come home to cook, I would have missed many dinners.

[Jenise]

I hate my kitchen

True for all of us these days after seeing the photos of Jenise's wonder kitchen

But the process she went through to get it scares the shit out of me.

A friend just rebuilt her kitchen and it took one contractor three months to do everything. Everything went just as planned and for most people, it should. I just had the 100 Year Flood of kitchen remodels--don't judge the experience by me.

[Jenise]

I think that in most two-income households, the chores get split up based on the talents and interests of the couple. In such situation, I don't see how a man could demand that his wife fulfill the duties of a traditional housewife while also holding down a full time job with no help. In our case, my wife's job is actually more demanding and stressful than mine, so I really couldn't expect her to handle all of the household chores as well. I enjoy cooking and I do a reasonably decent job of it, so it falls to me to put supper on the table (as well as a cocktail in her hand after work's done). She's appreciative of my efforts, and that makes me happy.

As you so often do, you summed up where most people are and should be in these modern times. Walt and Ian touched on it, too: each does what they can. I do all the cooking here, but that's because a) I want to and b) Bob hasn't shown any interest in it. Oh yeah, when we were dating he said he always thought it would be wonderful to be in a marriage where meal prep was a fun, shared experience, but that quickly became what I now refer to as The Only Lie Bob Ever Told.

When we were buying our house, one of the features the Francophile and I were looking for was a kitchen we could work together in, so we could cook as a team when the fancy took us. His previous abode had a small "turn round and don't step to the side" kitchen; mine had a galley kitchen of reasonable size but laid out to suit one person only. We managed to share cooking in these spaces but only by being very nice about getting under each other's feet, which given the layout was inevitable. We didn't really succeed in finding a house with a two person kitchen. We still fall over each other when we cook together. Maybe if/when we move again ... although I think that house designers on the whole put together kitchens that save space, maybe look good, and only work with one operator.

I do most of the grilling and sometimes make ice cream. My wife is an accomplished cook, but as we get older we're always trying to watch our weight so she keeps it simpler than a previous time.
Has everyone noticed as you get older you cannot eat the amount you used to or the weight piles on.

For Sure... For Sure. We are trying to keep it simple in order to lose a few lbs. I am surprised at how little I actually need to satisfy my hunger these days. When I was much much younger I would have eaten a lamppost or parking meter if I had a bottle of ketchup handy. I find also that as I age my tastes are changing also. For example I doubt if I ever will have ribs again and the same holds true for a number of other dishes. I don't follow any particular diet plan except for the ones I make up. Shrimp is a no weight gain item so I will diet mainly on shrimp for awhile. In my current effort I have lost about 12 lbs over a month's time. My wife eats a lot of yogurt and fruits especially during the week. On Friday and Saturday we loosen the reins a bit and enlarge the menu but still try to keep it within reason.

Tim

I do all the cooking - well, 90% of it - in my house. I don't mind, because I enjoy cooking, and I don't like eating out of a can, which is my wife's idea of cooking!

I do most of the grilling and sometimes make ice cream. My wife is an accomplished cook, but as we get older we're always trying to watch our weight so she keeps it simpler than a previous time.
Has everyone noticed as you get older you cannot eat the amount you used to or the weight piles on.

For Sure... For Sure. We are trying to keep it simple in order to lose a few lbs. I am surprised at how little I actually need to satisfy my hunger these days. When I was much much younger I would have eaten a lamppost or parking meter if I had a bottle of ketchup handy. I find also that as I age my tastes are changing also. For example I doubt if I ever will have ribs again and the same holds true for a number of other dishes. I don't follow any particular diet plan except for the ones I make up. Shrimp is a no weight gain item so I will diet mainly on shrimp for awhile. In my current effort I have lost about 12 lbs over a month's time. My wife eats a lot of yogurt and fruits especially during the week. On Friday and Saturday we loosen the reins a bit and enlarge the menu but still try to keep it within reason.

Tim

I used to be able to eat a good amount of food, but just in the last year I am not able to eat as much at one sitting. I let my stomach guide me and find that maybe three hours later I am hungry again, so I grab a pickle, carrot, celery stalk, or some almonds. I was outside this week working on a section of yard where we put the cat food. Silki, our cat, jumped up on her table every two hours or so and took about 6 good chomps and off she went. We free feed and she has never had a weight problem...she has the right idea.

I don't know who would be the 'primary' cook in our house.

SWMBO does most of the quotidien cooking and I do the 'fancy' cooking, but that is probably more due to the fact that she isn't as adventurous and lacks confidence to fail. I've been encouraging her to extend her repertoire in specific areas like soups and she's been enjoying it. I, on the other hand am not afraid to try something even at the risk of coming crashing down in a flaming, smoking pile of culinary failure, so I do the big dinners and more interesting (to me, anyway) cooking. If I had to figure out what to have every day, it would probably burn me out a bit as far as having the energy for the special stuff, so the division of labour works well for us.

I do all the cooking here, but that's because a) I want to and b) Bob hasn't shown any interest in it. Oh yeah, when we were dating he said he always thought it would be wonderful to be in a marriage where meal prep was a fun, shared experience, but that quickly became what I now refer to as The Only Lie Bob Ever Told.

That is too funny Jenise!

I do 100% of the cooking. Chris and I agreed on very traditional roles before we got married, which is fine because I love to cook and clean and he doesn't . I do all the cooking, including the grilling and smoking. We are slightly more modern than our parents in that Chris helps out a lot with the kiddos on the weekend, and will occasionally fill and empty the dishwasher. He also is the clean-up guy after a big party. I do all the landscaping and occasionally bring out the trash. I am also the one who does most of the "fixing" of stuff around the house, although he has gotten better.

Funny story...my 7 yr old daughter recently went to work with my husband (he is a banker) for "Take your child to work day". On the way home, she says, "Daddy, I was really surprised that there were so many girls that work there. I thought only the Daddies went to work and the Mommies stayed home." LOL!

I do all the cooking, including the grilling and smoking.

Aw c'mon!

Everyone knows that BBQ is a man's job! Been that way ever since Ugh dragged a sabretooth home to the cave and tossed it on the fire! Man = bring home food, sit around bragging about it while wife cleans it, then sit around the fire pretending to cook it while doing more bragging and trying not to burn it too badly.