Wednesday, October 7, 2009

I suck at being a woman.

That's how I feel, anyway.

My dinner went something like this last night.

After several weeks taking a sabbatical from cooking, I decided to try again by cooking roast. My grandmother makes the most AMAZING roast in the world. We had it this weekend while I was visiting her, so I got the recipe from her and tried it out.

Well, it didn't go well. Not at all.
First of all, since my grandmother didn't tell me to cut up the roast, I didn't. Maybe I should have. Also, she actually cooks it in a pot on the stove with water. She adds potatoes 30 minutes before it's done. Well, it was 7:30 p.m. and still not done. So then we decided to cut it up. I was so incredibly frustrated, because it didn't look anything like my grandmother's, and I felt like a failure.

So, what does a woman who feels like a failure do when her hormones are out of control?

She has a meltdown, of course.

So here I am, melting down while trying to cut potatoes. Full out ugly cry as if I were cutting onions instead of cutting potatoes. I almost cut my finger off, and so Wesley proceeds to take the knife from me. I'm still sobbing, of course, because it just feels like I fail as a woman.

sidenote:

[Failures:
1) I can't cook. I really can't. I think I just need to admit that to myself and everyone else. I have tried, and I have failed countless times. It is not natural, nor is it cute for me. It is stress waiting to happen.
2) I can't get pregnant without the help of fertility medication. Women are designed to conceive. What is wrong with this picture?
3) I am not dainty in the slightest. PCOS doesn't allow me to be. I'm overweight and I have too much testosterone. No chance of being femininely dainty or anything like that.
4) I really have no idea how to piece an outfit together. Usually when I look cute, it's because Wesley has stepped in and provided counsel.]

Anyway, so Wesley takes the knife from me, and I'm sobbing, telling him that I'm such a failure while listing the above reasons, and adding that I can't even cut potatoes, and Wesley looks at me and says dead seriously and rather spirited:

"I would rather have a wife with all of her extremities than one who can peel potatoes!"

So then, with tears streaming down my face, I proceed to break into a side-splitting laugh. He starts laughing as well. It was all quite comical, amidst my meltdown.

All that to say, the roast sucked, and the potatoes were in too long and they literally disintegrated into tiny pieces.

Baking is really my thing. But I can't lose weight if I bake all the time.

***
On my way to my office, I saw a girl who looked to be about 7.5 months pregnant.
She was puffing away on a cigarette.
I wanted to strangle her. Does she not realize how much of a precious gift a baby is?

***

I'm so ready for a vacation. Just 8 more days. I can do this.

5 comments:

  1. I'm sorry you had an awful day, but that's awesome that you have a great support system through your husband.

    Not all women cook...I really don't equate cooking with femininity, actually. It feels like a chore to me, something that has to be done. Tyson cooks about 10% of the time, when I'm tired or if he just wants to cook. Some guys like cooking. Tyson likes to experiment, so he enjoys it. I also make a lot of quick and easy dishes, like canned veggies. Last night, we had frozen taquitos that I just had to stick in the oven. I mean, I could see how cooking a roast would be very intimidating. I know how you feel, though. My mom makes an amazing roast, but I seriously doubt I could replicate it, even if I ever got the guts to try.

    I think it's awesome that Wesley helps you piece together an outfit...it shows that he's interested in all aspects of you, even what you wear. Anytime Tyson picks out an outfit for me, I hate it, haha. So I think it's cool that Wesley can put together a cute outfit.

    Femininity, in the biblical sense, is a woman who works hard, helps her family, and possesses virtue...not someone who looks "dainty" or someone who is overly-fertile, or someone who can peel potatoes. The things that we see as feminine are really just culturally feminine things; cooking and being skinny aren't valued as feminine traits in lots of cultures...you probably know more about that, since you're the resident culture expert, in my mind. :)

    I love you!

    ReplyDelete
  2. i agree with heather!
    and you're not a failure, you're just human! no one wants to be around perfection, and not being a Top Chef isn't the worst thing. do you have a crockpot? i'm not a great cook, so i usually go for simple recipes that i can have cooking in a crockpot during the day while i'm at work. I've made roast that way and it turned out yummy, hardly any work involved. one day i would like to be an amazing cook, but its something that i think is ok to learn over time. we're only 23, you know?
    i think its hard to be fashionable on a limited budget. lately i've been trying to learn how to put together things i already own in more creative ways---some inspiration for you: http://theuniformproject.com/home/daily/back-in-black.html?month=October

    ReplyDelete
  3. oh dear-- i can totally relate to the meltdowns. it seems like i'm having more and more of those these days. but isn't it great to have a husband who can pull you out of the meltdown by making you laugh?? and a husband who loves you despite the fact that you melt down! i have so much respect for caleb and love him so much more-- because he loves me. i can't even love me most of the time. but he does! and wesley loves YOU! all of you!

    and can i just say-- pot roasts are evil to begin with. i'm not even going to try to attempt one until i'm at least 30. so kudos to you for trying! your grandmother probably couldn't cook that amazing pot roast when she was 23-- the recipe was a result of 40+ years of experimenting (aka 'failure'). our turn for cooking greatness will come! and then we can hand down our recipes to frustrated grandchildren! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh honey :( I am sorry! Don't worry, none of us can cook like our Grandmas. It takes practice, they weren't born able to cook like that, haha. Every great cook had to practice, mess-up, and learn. So don't feel bad. I am just now getting to the point where I can consider myself a cook, but I've been practicing for 6 years. You just need to start with some simple recipes and you'll learn how to add/take away according to your own taste preferences. Roast isn't an easy thing to deal with, so don't feel bad. The best thing to do is crock pot it all day on low and let it do its thing with all the veggies and broth.

    ReplyDelete
  5. For a good/easy pot roast, do this:

    -Get a big pot roast that'll fit in your crock pot
    -Cut up potatoes, carrots, onions, celery, garlic, mushrooms, and throw them all on top of the roast.
    -Add a large can of cream of mushroom soup
    -Fill the pot with beef broth to cover the meat and the veggies. (Adding a little red wine is wonderful, too)
    -Put the crock pot on low and let cook for 8 hours while you're at work.

    Tada!!! EASY! I promise it's good. Just add whatever seasonings you like. Sometimes I throw in some tomato, too... I like the flavor. :)

    ReplyDelete