History Main / FeminineWomenCanCook

** You can't really say anything about Chiyo's femininity since she's only like 10 and even then she is still more feminine than the entire cast. She just happens to be [[{{TheAce}} good at everything except physical activities due to her age and size.

* Tedd in ''ElGoonishShive'' can cook -- but only when [[GenderBender he's a woman]]. His explanation is initially "because I'm hot" (and the comment on this background is "She's so hot, it helps her cook!"). Later he reasons that he only has to cook for himself when his dad isn't around, which is also when he turns himself into a girl, so he has accidently conditioned himself to feel more confident cooking in female form.

* Tedd in ElGoonishShive can cook - but only when [[GenderBender he's a woman]]. His explanation is initially "because I'm hot", but he later reasons that he only has to cook for himself when his dad isn't around, which is also when he turns himself into a girl, so he has accidently conditioned himself to feel more confident cooking in female form.

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* In ''[[RanmaOneHalf Ranma 1/2]]'', Akane Tendo's [[{{Understatement}} inability to cook]] symbolizes her tomboy inner nature, despite her preference for feminine garb. The fact that she ''desperately'' wants to learn to cook is a way of showing that she ''wants'' to be more feminine. Ironically, WholesomeCrossdresser Ukyo's superlative cooking ability (She's a professional chef) is one indication that her inner nature is actually ''more'' feminine than dress-loving Akane.
** It's also hinted that Nabiki Tendo can't cook. Since she is described as lacking a maiden's heart, the UnfortunateImplications of the first version of this trope seem to be out in the open.
** And of course, Ranma is also able to cook at least basic meals, despite being a boy who hates being cursed to turn into a girl.

* Inverted in {{Persona 4}} the three traditionally feminine girls [[YamatoNadeshiko Yukiko]], [[{{Tomboy}} Chie]] and [[TheChick Rise]] [[LethalChef can't cook at all]](well Rise can, but only if you're a fire eater like her). At the end they manage to bake an edible cake only by [[spoiler: getting the help of [[{{Bifauxnen}} Naoto Shirogane]]]]. Also the male [[TheHero Hero]] is noted as being an excellent cook. It's also implied [[RichBitch Ai]] cannot cook either when she remarks that it would be nice to end up with a guy who can cook after eating food prepared by TheHero.

By feminine we mean traditional domestically focused wife-like roles. Being [[TheVamp sexy]] isn't enough to qualify. You can also lose femininity by becoming [[{{Kawaiiko}} overly childish and cute]]. We are talking a traditionalist grown woman femininity here, The Wife of TheThreeFacesOfEve. But how do you [[RuleOfSymbolism symbolize]] an internal trait like femininity? Easy! Use cooking ability as a substitute.

** Could be due to their personality. Riku is more hardworking and responsible, Risa is more spoiled and childish (he gets better in the manga though).

Keep in mind that this trope refers to ''home'' cooking, not professional cookery. (Although working in a restaurant may still be counted as an AcceptableFeminineGoal depending on how it's presented.) Younger tropers might be surprised to learn that before the 1980s, women were generally not allowed to work as professional chefs. The excuse usually given was that the work was "too physically hard" for women, but in reality the common belief was that although a woman could make an adequate home cook, she could ''never'' be a real chef, because [[DoubleStandard being a chef took a certain genius]] that no woman could possibly ever, ''ever'' have. The resistance to women working as professional chefs was so strong that some women who tried ended up having to leave the profession to protect themselves from rape. Thus Colette in ''{{Ratatouille}}'' can cook and be a fiery feminist heroine at the same time - if anything, she'd have to be a fiery feminist in order to become a chef [[strike:in that time frame]] at all.

Keep in mind that this trope refers to ''home'' cooking, not professional cookery. Younger tropers might be surprised to learn that before the 1980s, women were generally not allowed to work as professional chefs. The excuse usually given was that the work was "too physically hard" for women, but in reality the common belief was that although a woman could make an adequate home cook, she could ''never'' be a real chef, because [[DoubleStandard being a chef took a certain genius]] that no woman could possibly ever, ''ever'' have. The resistance to women working as professional chefs was so strong that some women who tried ended up having to leave the profession to protect themselves from rape. Thus Colette in ''{{Ratatouille}}'' can cook and be a fiery feminist heroine at the same time - if anything, she'd have to be a fiery feminist in order to become a chef [[strike:in that time frame]] at all.

* Orihime Inoue from ''{{Bleach}}'' can cook... supposedly. Being a CloudCuckooLander ''and'' an ExtremeOmnivore, her meals consist of so many strange combinations, nobody is really willing to ''try'' her food to actually find if its good or not.

* Possibly parodied a bit in ''TengenToppaGurrenLagann'', where the girly girl Nia becomes a sort-of TheMinnesotaFats for the local CoolBigSis Yoko since she's good at almost everything... until the BeachEpisode shows that Nia is an ''horrid'' cook.

* In BelisariusSeries Lady Sanga is so good a cook that the absence of onions at the place she was supposedly murdered makes her husband wonder if she really was murdered.

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In modern sitcoms it's part of a [[PositiveDiscrimination bigger discrediting]] of the more sexist characteristics of the 50's Sitcom Wife. The stereotypical '90s Sitcom wife is blunt, CloserToEarth, MaternallyChallenged, and Can't Cook, a complete subversion of the stereotypical '50s Sitcom Wife, who is endearing, motherly, always in the kitchen, and essentially seems to only be there to compliment her equally stereotypical Sitcom Dad husband. The subversion works in some places but has eventually [[YouSayGirlLikeABadThing become a stereotype in itself]]. YourMileageMayVary.

* In ''[[RanmaOneHalf Ranma 1/2]]'', Akane Tendo's inability to cook symbolizes her tomboy inner nature, despite her preference for feminine garb. The fact that she ''desperately'' wants to learn to cook is a way of showing that she ''wants'' to be more feminine. Ironically, WholesomeCrossdresser Ukyo's superlative cooking ability (She's a professional chef) is one indication that her inner nature is actually ''more'' feminine than dress-loving Akane.

* Sakura in FateStayNight learned to cook to appeal to Shirou. One of her primary goals seems to be to outdo him at cooking and she gets a little antsy if she fails. Her... [[{{understatement}} unpleasant...]] backstory drove away most of her feminine traits. And also moast of her human ones.... But she's (a bit) [[TheWoobie better]] by the time the story starts. [[spoiler:Except in Heaven's Feel where those quick flashes of insecurity or jealousy she had in the previous two routes, coupled with the shards of the corrupted Grail that [[CompleteMonster Zouken's]] implanted into her cause her to go totally insane (eventually). SheGotBetter, fortunately.]]

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* In ''OfTheeISing'', Wintergreen isn't too keen on marrying Diana Devereaux or any of the other contestants, beautiful though they are, since he doubts their ability to cook: "Why, the average girl today can't cook--she can't even broil an egg." Mary insists that ''she'' can cook, and then tells him about her corn muffins, which [[ThroughHisStomach win his heart]] in a minute.

->'''Cyborg''': ''Even though the girl has no clue how to cook... Oops, DidISayThatOutLoud? Yum!''

By feminine we mean traditional domestically focused wife-like roles. Being [[TheVamp sexy]] isn't enough to qualify. You can also lose femininity by becoming [[{{Kawaiiko}} overly childish and cute]]. We are talking a traditionalist grown woman femininity here, The Wife of TheThreeFacesOfEve. But how do you [[RuleOfSymbolism symbolize]] an internal trait like femininity? Easy! Use cooking ability as a substitute.

Keep in mind that this trope refers to ''home'' cooking, not professional cookery. Younger tropers might be surprised to learn that before the 1980s, women were generally not allowed to work as professional chefs. The excuse usually given was that the work was "too physically hard" for women, but in reality the common belief was that although a woman could make an adequate home cook, she could ''never'' be a real chef, because [[DoubleStandard being a chef took a certain genius]] that no woman could possibly ever, ''ever'' have. The resistance to women working as professional chefs was so strong that some women who tried ended up having to leave the profession to protect themselves from rape. Thus Colette in ''{{Ratatouille}}'' can cook and be a fiery feminist heroine at the same time - if anything, she'd have to be a fiery feminist in order to become a chef [[strike:in that time frame]] at all.

Feeding someone is a gesture of affection and generosity, in either a romantic or a maternal situation. She doesn't have to cook it herself, but it adds on when she does. (And bonus points if it's YourFavorite.) People may home in on her through FollowYourNose.

A less sexist version boils down to the image of successful person (i.e. wealthy and/so with a demanding career) having neither the time or inclination to cook when they can get some one else to do it. Of course, this variation carries class warfare implications -- the parasitic bourgeoisie, and so forth.

Tomboys entertain a special place in perceptions of femininity. They counter their masculinity with a childish innocence, but avoid [[{{Kawaiiko}} overly cute]] aspects that they may be less than comfortable with [[YouSayGirlLikeABadThing by acting boyish instead of girly]]. Everything put together hints that hidden underneath the tomboy ActionGirl shell is a YamatoNadeshiko waiting to come out. And a YamatoNadeshiko ActionGirl is hot! (See LadyOfWar.) Eventually, the tomboy may come to terms with that hidden femininity; until then, a severe lack of cooking skills signals that she still hasn't come in touch with her feminine side, even when she ''does'' want to.

In modern sitcoms it's part of a [[PositiveDiscrimination bigger discrediting]] of the more sexist characteristics of the 50's Sitcom Wife. The stereotypical '90s Sitcom wife is blunt, CloserToEarth, MaternallyChallenged, and Can't Cook, a complete subversion of the stereotypical '50s Sitcom Wife, who is endearing, motherly, always in the kitchen, and essentially seems to only be there to compliment her equally stereotypical Sitcom Dad husband. The subversion works in some places but has eventually [[YouSayGirlLikeABadThing become a stereotype in itself]]. YourMileageMayVary.

Her hobby is [[GoldDigger homewrecking]], and her attitude to home cooking is summed up in the words of a famous Wonderbra ad: "I can't cook. Who cares?" This might be interpreted as signaling that homewreckers violate the amity of women, and therefore has lost her femininity (which requires [[MyGirlIsNotASlut modesty and chaste behavior]]). However, it's more likely meant to reference the "madonna/whore complex", where men supposedly see women as either nurturing, wholesome homemakers who shouldn't care about sex or as passionate temptresses who shouldn't care about respectability.

Cooking as a symbol of femininity is not limited to simple absence. Often a woman who can't cook will go to great effort to improve her cooking skill. This symbolizes her search for femininity and can be a very common VerySpecialEpisode for {{Tomboy}} heroines. (For comedy gold use a LethalChef and then HilarityEnsues -- sometimes this even becomes a RunningGag). If she succeeds it's major CharacterDevelopment. (Particularly likely if she wants to invoke ThroughHisStomach and can't.)

Failure can sometimes lead to over the top {{Wangst}}ing, which might be {{Lampshade}}d by a male friend pointing out that it's only cooking. This is will sometimes be followed by the woman lampshading ''this trope'' and explaining that being unable to cook symbolically makes her less of a woman.

It can also be used in a subversion to show that one of the above [[AlwaysFemale female stereotypes]] is actually feminine after all. A career woman shows up and cooks! Holy cow, you've found the mythical [[SnipeHunt Snipe!]] Might be a TakeThat to stereotypes, or it might just be to show how awesome this character is.

* In ''[[RanmaOneHalf Ranma 1/2]]'', Akane Tendo's inability to cook symbolizes her tomboy inner nature, despite her preference for feminine garb. The fact that she ''desperately'' wants to learn to cook is a way of showing that she ''wants'' to be more feminine. Ironically, WholesomeCrossdresser Ukyo's superlative cooking ability (She's a professional chef) is one indication that her inner nature is actually ''more'' feminine than dress-loving Akane.
** It's also hinted that Nabiki Tendo can't cook. Since she is described as lacking a maiden's heart, the UnfortunateImplications of the first version of this trope seem to be out in the open.

* Inverted in ''MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha''. Nanoha, Fate, and Hayate, who are independent, [[PersonOfMassDestruction highly destructive]], {{Action Girl}}s [[GoodLookingPrivates with glowing military careers]], are all revealed [[AllThereInTheManual in supplementary material]] to be good cooks in their own right. The LethalChef of the series? Why, it's the TeamMom StaffChick, Shamal, of course!

** According to Matsumoto, she's a good cook.
** Tessai also likes her cooking.

* Possibly parodied a bit in ''TengenToppaGurrenLagann'', where the girly girl Nia becomes a sort-of TheMinnesotaFats for the local CoolBigSis Yoko since she's good at almost everything... until the BeachEpisode shows that Nia is an ''horrid'' cook.

*** In one of the spin off manga's, it's shown Kamina would have loved her food too. So who knows, maybe its food fit for only the manliest of men/women.
* In ''SailorMoon'', tomboy Makoto (AKA Sailor Jupiter) is the easily the best cook of the group, and her dream is to own a restaurant. She admits in an episode of ''Sailor Moon S'' that her motivation for cooking came from wanting to be more feminine, an insecurity she grapples with the entire series. There is also the practical explanation that she lives alone (her parents died in a plane crash) and thus HAS to know how to cook as a result.
** A Manga sidestory that focuses on her shows she cooks and does house work when stressed or depressed, even if it stops more important things like studying for entrance exams. She'll stay up all night to cook something for the other Senshi if they have plans at her house the next day or just stop studying to go cook them food.

* ''RevolutionaryGirlUtena'' subverted this as well - Anthy Himemiya, despite being extremely feminine, is a LethalChef whose cooking is so terrible it actually explodes. Then causes people to switch bodies.

* In {{Hayate the Combat Butler}} Hinagiku is shown as a wonderful cook despite her Tomboy exterior. Her attempts to bring attention to her ability symbolizes her trying to show her feminine side more.

*** Both Hinagiku and Hayate are shown to be hyper-qualified at everything they do. Maria also is depicted the same way. So good cooking ability plays into that as well.

* Cathy Ryan, a minor character from the TomClancy novels, is a good example. A full-time doctor, a professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins, and an award-winning researcher, she still nonetheless takes great pride in her gourmet chef abilities (her potato salad is apparently to die for). It has been suggested within the books themselves that the reason she is so good at it is because cooking, being the application of proper ingredients, time, and preparation, appeals to her meticulous nature.
* Though she's not portrayed as particularly gifted, Catti-brie Battlehammer of the ''{{Drizzt}}'' novels, for much of her life a tomboyish ActionGirl, can at least make enjoyable road stew. Though it's implied that, like many other of her useful skills beyond "sharp wit", Drizzt, a ranger used to surviving in the wild, taught her how.

* Possibly invoked, but ultimately averted with Polgara of ''TheBelgariad''. She ''can'' cook, masterfully, and she at least pays lip service to the idea that she, as a woman, is better off manipulating events subtly and behind the scenes. The events of ''Polgara the Sorceress'', however, prove that she's just as willing as her father Belgarath to flat-out strongarm people (or an ''entire nation'') into doing what she wants, and she's almost as proficient as him at it, to boot.

*** It gets better. Garion, the protagonist, is probably a passable cook, just by virtue of being raised in a kitchen and watching his aunt Pol at work. He knows how to cook bacon over an open flame and not burn it, at least.
* In the StarWars ExpandedUniverse, [[ActionGirl Mara Jade]] tries to give Luke a taste of home by cooking a Tatooine dish. She, of course, screws it up. Luke, perhaps for the sake of her feelings (or just to escape [[BerserkButton her rage]]), tells her that it smells just like he remembers; and that he really wanted to leave Tatooine because of the food.

** Joey loved Rachel's 'traditional' trifle. [[EpicFail With beef.]]

* Former Borg drone Seven of Nine takes up cooking in the final season of ''StarTrekVoyager'' as a symbol of her [[BecomeARealBoy progression towards humanity]]. Captain Janeway on the other hand can never get the hang of her food replicator, even to make a decent cup of much-beloved coffee.
* On ''{{Chef}}!'', Janice Blackstock can't cook. But it's okay, because she's married to the best chef in [[strike: England]] the world. Because she manages the restaurant, she is closest to the Career Woman type, although at no point is her inability to cook seen negating her femininity (although Gareth makes fun of her for it once). Interestingly, the most "feminine" character on the whole show, [[TheChick Renee]], was completely useless at cooking, while prim and proper [[TheSnarkKnight Lucinda]] and slightly masculine Savannah were both brilliant cooks.

* Played with in ''{{Firefly}}.'' In ''Our Mrs. Reynolds,'' Mal's almost painfully submissive new wife [[TheMole Saffron]] turns out to be a fabulous cook. Zoe is not amused when Saffron suggests she cook for her husband, and is even less amused when Wash drools over Saffron's cooking. However, in ''War Stories,'' a rather touching scene has Zoe cooking for Wash after he leads the charge to rescue Mal.
--> ''"Mmmmmm. Wife soup."''

* {{Traveller}} : In the Sword Worlds the "Hearthfire" is a sacred Archetype and a symbol of security and domesticity. A proud male warrior or worker "guards" the Hearthfire, but his wife ''Tends'' it. In a way they hold this to mean she is a quasi-priestess merely by being a woman.

*** Of course, ''Emil'' is a wonderful cook (and has a habit of [[RealMenWearPink sculpting food into intricate shapes]]), and he's easily the most (or second most, after Colette) effeminate character in the game. Partly subverted, since [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Ratatosk Emil]] cooks just as well (though his food ''looks'' worse).
**** In the first Tales of Symphonia, there is actually a skit that [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] the aversion. Lloyd notices that Regal is a vastly superior cook to Raine, and Regal says that more men are good at cooking because of their physical strength. In the same skit he says women are more equipped to fighting.

* [[TeenTitans Raven]] can't even cook pancakes. Actually, I'm not even sure they're supposed to be pancakes.

->'''Cyborg''': ''Even though the girl has no clue how to cook... Oops, did I say that out loud? Yum!''

Feeding someone is a gesture of affection and generosity, in either a romantic or a maternal situation. She doesn't have to cook it herself, but it adds on when she does. (And bonus points if it's YourFavorite.)