This morning, I was in the mood to play the occasional housewife.
After sending Gavin to school, I went to the mini wet market near our place. I wanted to buy a piece of pork leg for braising but I felt a little lost standing in front of the meat chiller.
WHICH PART OF THE LEG SHOULD I BUY? FRONT OR HIND?
Luckily, there weren’t that many people and the pork seller was kind enough to educate me.
So that’s how I managed to whip up a simple one dish meal consisting of braised pork legs with eggs and bean curd. I even ventured further to made tong sui for dessert today. Terribly rare!
I think I make a very clueless housewife if I ever become a SAHM.
I only know how to shop at the supermarket. I barely have any idea of how to buy stuff from the wet market. Besides not knowing which part of the pig is meatier, I don’t know the names of the fish either. But I like to believe that this is the case for most modern mummies these days.
Another thing is I seldom cook and I’m not fantastic at that. The only time I did on a daily basis was during the period when I was a pregnant full-time housewife.
Then I was responsible for whipping up decent meals for my husband during the weekdays and also taking care of my own nutrition. Just standard Chinese cooking of three dishes including a soup, nothing fanciful.
After Gavin popped, I only cooked functional meals. Meaning, dumping everything in a pot of soup. Ha, easy peasy kind of cooking that can last for two good meals. With a baby on hand, it was impossible to be too creative or fussy about food. It was only when our domestic help arrived a year later did we enjoy some decent home cooked meals again. I taught her most of the cooking and left the task very much to her except for occasional supervision of new dishes. Very thankfully, she’s a fast learner even though she’s young.
So it’s about 3 years since I’ve prepared meals for my family. Even when my in-laws come over the weekend, it’s my husband who whips up the meal. I have to admit that he’s the better cook between us. Definitely more creative and more adventurous.
Hey, another hopeless thing is I don’t know how to bake a cake too. I suppose I can manage with a recipe, but… there’s always the bakery isn’t it?
Hmm…at least you tried and you cook…and lucky you, your hubby knows how to cook!!
I’m a gone case, i’m not the least interested in cooking!! The most ‘decent’ meal i’ve cook so far is rice with yong tau fu soup and fish porridge for Damien!
I’m the real hopeless one…
Comment by Eileen — Wed, 26 Apr 2006 @ 12:15 pm
count me hopeless too! i can grill a steak though and if frozen foods count, I can cook that too.
Comment by Irene — Wed, 26 Apr 2006 @ 12:37 pm
Hey..SS,
I think when one is in Singapore.. one doesn’t REALLY need to cook.. if you know what i mean..
Unlike poor me.. ! hahhaha!!
Comment by Mama Bok — Wed, 26 Apr 2006 @ 12:41 pm
I agree with Mama Bok. Never cooked or did any housework til I joined MM but if we want to eat what we like to eat or at least used to eat back home, I just have to learn how to cook from scratch (to feed a food-picky hubby). Luckily my meals have turned out pretty well even the experimental ones.
Comment by domestic rat — Wed, 26 Apr 2006 @ 2:16 pm
Hee hee.. never mind if you don’t cook, at least you hubby does, and what better to boost his ego by saying he’s a better cook.
My hubby used to whip up meals when we were dating, I guess to impress me. Now, he can’t even cook a pack of instant noodle.. He said got maid woh.
I think cooking comes with a lot of interest and passion. As long as you can whip up something occasionally, I guess it’s good enough.
Comment by zara's mama — Wed, 26 Apr 2006 @ 2:39 pm
It’s delightfully ironic that your blog is based on a cooking metaphor when you don’t like to cook! It makes it all the more interesting.
Comment by ally bean — Wed, 26 Apr 2006 @ 7:45 pm
I am a failure in baking too, even with recipes. How do you get your hubby to cook? Any tips? Is your hubby a fast cook? My hubby only cook occasionally, when he’s in the mood but I get too impatient and hungry waiting for him to be done.
Comment by Erika — Thu, 27 Apr 2006 @ 1:26 am
Erika: He enjoys cooking out of his choice. Especially if he’s in a good mood or he tries something nice outside.
Ally Bean: Irony isn’t it? I enjoy eating, not so much cooking.
Zara’s Mama: But sometimes I do wish I’m more keen on this especially for my son’s sake.
DR & Mama Bok: I supposed your situations kind of make it necessary to cook more frequently? It’s impossible to eat out all the time, and also for Mama Bok, it could get too cold to even go outside on some days!
Irene & Eileen: Haha…everyone can cook but do they enjoy and like Zara Mama said, have interest and passion in this activity? I don’t and I think maybe you two? Hehe…never mind! More importantly is, WE DEFINITELY LOVE TO EAT!!!
Comment by sesame — Thu, 27 Apr 2006 @ 8:40 am
Actually, the best thing abt living in Penang is that if I don’t feel like cooking, we can easily ‘tapao’ something or head out to munch. Back in China, MM can’t really take their food so I had to cook, almost 6 days a week.
I love to cook, not because of the activity (cos I think I stink after that!) but rather I enjoy feeding people! So if Gavin is too skinny, give him to me. I will fatten him up for you in no time.
Comment by domestic rat — Thu, 27 Apr 2006 @ 9:41 am
Goodness! Our cooking history is so similar! I hardly cooked at all after marriage and only started daily when I was a happy and idyllic and jobless pregnant wife. I experimented most then. Then of course we had Sara and meals were all functional and simple. It is only now, when we’ve hired a helper full time here, that I no longer cook and leave all cooking to her. I guess I will be like you, wanting to experiment from time to time, but I too don’t have a great passion for cooking. I’m lucky enough to have hired someone who can cook, plus my mom is here to teach her stuff, but I suppose I should learn some of my mom’s secrets too.
Comment by Hsin — Sat, 29 Apr 2006 @ 12:17 pm
Ha! At least I find someone alike. Not totally clueless in cooking but we just don’t have the passion. But sometimes I do wish I can have more interest such as baking cakes for my son.
Comment by sesame — Sat, 29 Apr 2006 @ 3:31 pm