National Men Make Dinner Day.

National Men Make Dinner Day.

OK guys you know what day it is today. This is for the men of the world out there who have yet to be introduced to the kitchen. Do you remember that day when your wife or girlfriend said that tonight was the night when you'd have to make dinner this evening? At first you might have thought she was kidding, that it was a deliberate attempt to make you feel inadequate, that there had to be one night or maybe even a few when a role reversal had to be the order of the day so to speak.

For today is, believe it or not, National Men Make Dinner Day so that's not so much an order but a stern warning to all of the alpha males out there who, ludicrously, believe that a woman should be waiting dutifully and lovingly by the front door with her apron on, smiling happily and ready to escort her husband to the dinner table where dinner will be served shortly and if sir would like to take a seat then he will be served in the goodness of time.

The division of labour between husband and wife, girl and boy friend has always been one of those age old and contentious issues. But when it comes to dishing up the early evening meal, men have tended to take a back seat. Besides, who goes out every morning, jumps onto a bus or train and toils away conscientiously at the office, warehouse, shop or factory floor for their weekly pittance without thinking of food. Or perhaps that sounds a tad old fashioned. Women of course go out to work and that's all we need to know.

Today though is different, significantly different. Because today men will be required almost immediately to walk into the kitchen this evening and stay there for the duration until such time as the evening meal is warmly delivered. Now you know where the pots and pans are kept and you don't have to be reminded where the oven and cooker is so you may just have to get on with it whether you like it or not. How can your man not know where the colander or the soup bowls are? You'll have to tell the men to hurry up since we're all starving here.

Of course back in the 1950s and 1960s all men had to do when they came home from work was to walk into the living room, slip on their slippers, light their pipe, fling open the broadsheet Daily Mail, possibly switch on the radio to listen to one of those early, embryonic episodes of the Archers and then throw a few logs onto the fire.

Gender conditioning is a strange issue and things have changed radically over the years and decades. Now it's the man who rolls up his sleeves, puts on his apron and vigorously chops up the carrots, concocting all manner of exotic spicy dishes and then wiping the sweat from his brow as meal time rapidly approaches.

In today's society men cooks and chefs are more or less part of the kitchen furniture and TV does its utmost to reinforce all of those positive stereotypes when it comes to a man's place being in the kitchen as well. The number of top class chefs and cooks on TV has mushroomed spectacularly over the years, In fact the numbers are simply phenomenal.

From Gordon Ramsey to Jamie Oliver, James Martin to those lovably friendly Hairy Bikers on the BBC, men have become a well established fixture in the kitchen. All project an image of homely familiarity emphasising that cooking is still and always will be  one of the simplest domestic exercises you could wish to be faced with.

Well over 40 years ago now we were introduced to perhaps one of the most accomplished TV cooks and his name was Graham Kerr. Kerr was  hard working, jolly, permanently happy and impossibly energetic. He would rush around the studio kitchen, sprint almost desperately towards the oven if he felt he could smell something burning and never looked panicky. Kerr was Australian which may have implied that all he was interested in making would be a barbecue based meal.

But by the end of the evening with steam pouring from that huge variety of frying pans and deliciously fragrant smells wafting across the studio, Kerr would begin to slow down. Graham Kerr was the 'Galloping Gourmet' and no more fitting description could  have been better employed. At times the audience were not only the appreciative observers but also the active participants.At the end of the show Kerr would graciously invite somebody from the audience to taste his culinary joys. Kerr would race up the steps and breathlessly capture anybody he could find.

Then there was that superb moment when after plentiful sips of wine throughout the show, Kerr would pick up the sumptuous meal with his knife and fork and gently consume a plate of gastronomic delight. He would close his eyes and then slowly roll the said supper in his mouth before declaring quite openly that it was the greatest food any chef had ever made. And he may well have been right because you feel sure that it was.

Now of course Britain proudly points to their very own cooking geniuses. Jamie Oliver is a modest, down to earth and self effacing food preparing maestro. Oliver oozes an insatiable zest for life and cooking, a whirlwind, all action chef whose meticulous attention to detail and wonderful enthusiasm continues to rub off on all those he encounters. Oliver now has what amounts to a mini library of cooking books to his credit and should rightly be honoured by those who love watching cooking programmes.

So there you are ladies and gentlemen. Today is National Men Make Dinner Day so remember where you were when this was mentioned.  This is an honest admission but cooking and yours truly may have to be uttered in different sentences. It may not be for the want of trying but there is a wariness in my soul when somebody provides with me an easy to follow recipe book. We have a whole shelf of cookery books in our home and occasionally I may be tempted to leaf through them with an admiring glance.

For the time being the temptation to whip up some beautifully prepared supper consisting of the most amazing ingredients you could ever imagine will have to be resisted. Then of course I could change my mind which may not be advisable. If only I could summon up the desire and willingness to do so then it may not be quite as difficult as it might have seemed if requested to do so. One day perhaps.

So guys and men. This is your day to shine in the kitchen and get cracking on tonight's meal for the woman in your life. She may not be surprised and she may give you the seal of approval. Privately, she may think that it was about time that men did something constructive around the home. But then that may be considered a load of foolish talk and complete baloney. So come on chaps and lads it's time to get out those casserole dishes, grab hold of the blender, pluck out those well sharpened knives and  have those whisks by the ready to cook, cook, cook. To quote a certain Delia Smith. 'Let's Be Having You. This is your day of days so it's time to go for it. Your time starts now!