Wednesday, June 3, 2009

It’s a guy thing!.. It’s a girl thing! Is it really?

As per a recent article I came across, which said: "There were others (women) who admitted to being control freaks, and didn’t trust their partners’ cooking. " and the article title read "Mums are still kitchen queens".
Hmm... it struck a chord, is cooking predominantly a girl thing... in today's day and age, are there still things which are considered as a guy/girl thing? Even now?

Mind you.. as i write this, i am ONLY thinking about our generation.. And not our parents or future ones....

Cooking... SD and I both cook around the house... no turns or such, whoever is up for it.. or nowadays, the less tired one.
Yes, when we have friends visiting... i become the chef. He does everything possible to help like chopping, cleaning... but the cooking will be my deal(most of the times).. and i don’t think that’s a girl thing! Its me being a control freak, since i would want the paav bhaaji to taste like one and not some mix veg+tava masala style!

There are a couple of things which even guys claim they do it better..... and would prefer girls not doing- like Grilling.. I recently went to a BBQ party, where all the guys claimed that grilling was a guy thing and women should chill and enjoy... Only to realize 20 min. later the grill was on, the guys were playing tennis and the gals were working the grills with corns, veggies and paneer!! Hmm!

Guys claim they are better at mixing the drinks.. well in all honesty, in the domain of mocktails.. its the other way around! And hence, there is no one gender again!

In 21st century, i think.. and i really hope, there are not a lot of things which ONLY one sex does better.. excluding of course child birth. but come on.. the guy is next to you.. holding your hand.. and listening to the "beeps" that he never thought the dainty wife even knew ;-)

A couple of years ago- guys did the poker+cigar, ladies had their rummy kitty parties or some retail therapy.. No more i say, the guys and gals, all sit on tables, floors with their poker face. And yes.. in the set of friends i know, the girl seems to kick ass at poker!

Spas, shopping.. no longer is only a girls forte. There are loads of spas offering a couple massage with a waiting list of over a month. May be the guy would not go out every week... but he will go once to the outlet mall.. and fill up the stock!and shop!I think what girls do better here is - stretching the dollar! We will check the online store albeit daily.. and when the price is just right..... they’ll place the order!

As i continue to ponder on these chores, i pen all the things which we has discussed as couples and friends being done better by the "other one": lifting heavy stuff.. hmm.. i see girls pumping enough iron to have the strong arms, cooking up a romantic meal.. i know a guy, who would stage him being out of town, only to surprise the better half with flowers, and gifts... and a home made strawberry cake!
Handy work: I guess both do it equally well.. may be the gal will hammer the nail and the guy will line it up right! Cleaning: Come on how hard is to vacuum? Both do it.. and nowadays i see more men on it than before (thank god!). Laundry: Separate the clothes, put it in the washer..how difficult is it? Child Care: Its a shared responsibility.. and trust me, when i take V to the park- i see more dads there than moms!
Work: We all know both are equally good whatever they do.

From my perspective.. its a partnership in its true sense.. and yes being in the US has pampered me to live in this partnership of chores/ work and child care! Even in couples i see around me, there is no particular "Guy thing or a girl thing" There is a balance. and an understanding of who does what (most of the times)

Come to think of it.. there is barely any particular thing which is a "Girl Thing or Guy thing". Am i missing something here?
There are enough contradicting articles out there which would disagree.... and again, i am not talking about who does it better.. the competency, but just the fact that both sexes can do it!

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Its a girl thing when I don't feel like doing it. :-))

But you are right, there is an ever vanishing thin line between something being a guy thing or a girl thing, well except for giving birth!

Unknown said...

Ooohh I so completely agree with you in this article.....

Absolutely, it doesn't matter if its done right or wrong, its just that it can be done better by both - the girl and the guy....

Priyanka Rajkhowa said...

Amen...for the most part :-) aka household chores, work etc..

A lot of the emotional aspects/thought processes etc. though I think to a great extent can be still demarcated quite clearly as being a girl thing or a guy thing...

It's just that over the years, both the genders have evolved in a manner so as to be able accept these differences and look at issues from the opposite gender's perspective so as to rationalize one another's opinions and behavior.

Garima said...

Agreed with all three.. but here is some food for thought: i do see ..
gals getting around kitchen / complaining guys dont help enuf... while guys would get around and complain women shop too much/ wat ever cleaning they do is not good enuf for wives.....and so on..
I think its also perception: the years of sterotyping girl/ guy thing is rooted in our minds somewhere..
there is no line of demarkation.. but i guess we have seen it for so long, that though both sexes can do everything equally.. but we just turn up picking up tasks that make us more comfortable (hence following stereo types without even realising it!)

kind of contradicts wat i was saying before.