There’s just something so romantic about preparing a meal with your partner, and eating it together. Here’s how you can pull this little date idea off!
Domestication – think about this word, and the first activity that
comes to mind will be cooking. Somehow, you and your partner are finally
comfortable with each other or have been dating for quite some time
now, that doing a domesticated act together already feels right. It does
take a certain degree of compatibility, chemistry and definitely a lot
of comfort to be able to participate in team activities, and cooking is
definitely one of these.
How to make cooking together more fun
If you are both doing it together for the first time, it might
involve a wee bit more planning than usual. Here are some suggestions to
make your cooking experience with your partner a magical domestication
activity to remember.
#1 Pretend to be restaurateurs. And plan a menu
together. We all have our individual taste buds, and it will be a great
planned breakfast, lunch or dinner if you guys can both contribute what
you want to prepare and eat. He might like a salad or soup to be
included while you would also like to make a refrigerator dessert. Be
creative, and make sure that both of your taste buds have been
considered or you have both at least agreed and compromised on the items
in your menu.
If you would like to make this extra special, you can even design
your own menu, especially if it’s a dinner party and you’re planning
to invite your closest friends, or if it’s a celebration. It will make
the meal activity feel more formal and polished.
#2 It is all about the money, money, money. Because
it will always be about the money to begin with. Unless one of you is an
inheritor of a trust fund, then it will be wise to set a budget. After
the menu has been planned, researching about the ingredients and any
substitute ingredients for those expensive ones will be the next thing
to do. Also set a budget, if you have an idea of how much you guys want
to spend, then this will also affect the menu that you have planned.
It will also be great if the two of you can contribute monetarily,
except of course, if one of you is still in school and the other one has
a job. Then we both know who should ideally contribute more than the
other.
#3 Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. Set
the date or dates, if you are eager to go on a cooking marathon with
your partner. To make sure that everything will be out of the way, like
work meetings, exams, deadlines and other commitments, set a date that
is going to work for the both of you.
Make sure that on this day you have ample time to prepare your meal,
which will usually take at least 2 hours plus eating time, which will
take at least an hour, and any after meal activities. You would need at
least 4 hours free for this activity. This does not even include setting
up your dinner venue, so allocate another hour for that.
#4 A candlelit dinner on the roof, or a picnic under the stars, or a backyard barbeque. The
setting or the venue is as important as the menu. Selecting a venue
will help you calculate how much time is really needed, and if there are
other things that you would need. For example, if you would like to
prepare a romantic dinner on the roof, you would need candles, romantic
background music and possibly a makeshift tent, if it might rain.
Doing an important activity like this for the first time and being
able to execute it nicely and smoothly will be a hallmark in your
relationship, and something to look back on as your relationship
strengthens.
#5 You scheduled a picnic under the stars, but it rained that day. Once
you have your menu and venue chosen and planned, you need to visit your
venue to check if there are things that you need. You also need to
research about those places especially when we are talking about the
weather and how it can be so unpredictable these days.
If you want a rooftop dinner, check if you have a nice and clean
rooftop to begin with, or if you need permits or anything of that sort.
If you both don’t have this in any of your apartments, don’t fret. You
can always ask friends or family if they have this venue for you. Or if
you want a barbeque, make sure that the grill is working or you have
ample seating space in the backyard.
Do not be afraid to go out on a limb for something as important as this. It will be all worth it!
#6 Shopping! Grocery shopping, that is. Write it
down and choose a date for your shopping trip. When you have planned out
your menu and have chosen the venue, it is fitting that you make a list
of these items. Don’t forget any other items that you think you might
need for the venue, like candles, a picnic mat, charcoal, table napkins,
and any other essentials.
The grocery shopping date does not also need to be on the same day as
the cooking activity. It can be done a couple of days before. Unless
there are some ingredients that need to be bought on the same day that
it will be cooked, choose a separate grocery shopping date so you won’t
be exhausted by the time it’s time to cook.
#7 Let the cooking begin! After all the pre-cooking
preparations comes the big moment where the two of you cook together.
This can be an exciting day for the both of you, whether you two have
been cooking separately or have no cooking experience at all. Working
together for something that you have both prepared for is always a
bonding experience for you and your partner. It’s like the two of you
are near the finish line and can already taste victory.
There are several ways to approach the cooking day. You can either
allocate chopping and preparing the ingredients to one person, and the
actual cooking and mixing the ingredients to the other. Or you can both
be actively doing the same things. Be mindful that if this will be the
first time that you are witnessing your other half cook, you might not
have the same ways in chopping or mixing, and this can make you rub each
other the wrong way. Just accept these things, and do not impose any
right way, unless your partner really looks like he or she does not have
any idea what to do.
#8 Do you have a place to eat? In the midst of your
cooking preparations, don’t forget your venue preparations as well. If
you need to travel to this place from your cooking headquarters, you can
delegate the set-up to the other half of the team so it won’t take up
too much time. If you want to set up the venue together, then allocate a
specific time before cooking or after cooking.
#9 Eat your heart out. After cooking and pre-cooking
preparations, you are now ready to dine! Take time to appreciate your
partner’s hard work and give compliments to each other. Surely, you are
both famished by this time.
#10 After meal plans, anyone? After the meal, you
may want to do something after. It might be a little stroll to get the
food digesting, or some dessert at a café, or bath tub time with wine
and chill out music, to name a few. Whatever it is, make sure that it
does not include any preparations or intense physical activity, as you
both have done pretty well on the planning and you both deserve a break.
You can also head directly to the bedroom to celebrate your first cook
off in an intimate manner. Just avoid anything too acrobatic after the
tiresome but satisfying experience!
The domestic feel of preparing your own meal can help build
intimacy between you and your partner. So the next time you want to
strengthen your bond, ditch your fine dining reservations and cook
something romantic at home!