E and I had a huge debate about cooking last night.

I am working on something very special that I will share with you all later this week that involves me cooking for other people besides E. I’m still debating what to make, so we’ve been trying out a variety of fish sandwich recipes.

One of our experiments included beer battered mahi mahi, with red cabbage slaw and pickled cucumber. That was mega. So mega, I thought it would be best to make for that “something very special” coming up.

“But what if everyone doesn’t like fried fish?” I asked E.

And then, E blurted out something that made me go hmmmm. “Honey, cook like a man.”

I know what you’re thinking. Let him explain.

“Say you were a guy, invited to cook a dish for a potluck dinner. You would take the opportunity to show off a bit; to make the best, most awesome, tastiest sandwich there was no matter if it were fried, barbecued or sautéed. You would think solely about taste. So do that. Don’t be scared of judgement. You’re not doing this do provide a nutritious meal to the guests: you’re doing this at the invitation of making the tastiest sandwich! So don’t hold back. Cook what you want, and what you think is awesome.”

These beer battered mahi mahi sandwiches? Awesome indeed.

I took E’s advice to heart. E is not saying that women aren’t adventurous cooks—he was simply reminding me, just me, to be more adventurous in my own cooking. I let the whims of one or two picky eaters dictate my entire menu. I should cook like no one’s watching. Or judging.

Trust my judgement, E told me. If I think they’re awesome, I’m sure everyone else will, too.

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