Every day on social media, the argument persists about whose job it is to cook in the family.

Young Nigerians spend a lot of time analysing scenarios and deciding when it is appropriate for either the husband or wife to cook or not to cook.

The latest debacle was a Twitter user who said that his wife will not be part of those cooking communally at family events.

Twitter user drops his two cents on cooking [Twitter]

The nature of social media is such that anyone can say anything, and most especially their personal preferences. Others will attack these personal preferences in a battle of personal opinions, each exaggerating their points.

Do women bond over communal cooking exercises during parties and events?

Yes, they do.

Usually, it is the aunties and older women who supervise the younger ones who do the stirring, mixing, and heavy lifting. Indeed, light gossip and banter goes on around that area.

However, at the end of the event, those involved in the cooking exercise are stressed and sometimes resort to meat-stealing as compensation.

So, there is nothing that prevents a person with the means from using caterers, but this nuance is lost on most people.

Why?

1. Nigerians are largely impoverished

Caterers, chefs, and maids and ordering out would solve this cooking issue once and for all. But most Nigerians cannot bear the cost of this, and they have to cook for themselves.

A person who barely has the money to organise an event would be reluctant to spend extra money on a caterer, servers, and ushers.

2. Most Nigerians do not enjoy cooking

Only a few people actually enjoy cooking. That is why if any of them had the chance they would push it to the other party.

For someone who enjoys making their meals, having to cook isn’t the life sentence most social media users make it out to be.

3. Most Nigerians do not enjoy their family’s company

Outside the country, family cookouts are normal events. The extended family get together and cook together. During Christmas, Thanksgiving and even funerals, most people pride themselves in cooking together and making homemade meals.

But Nigerians do not want to bond over cooking. They would rather do so over eating.

4. Nigerians do not have a variety of meals and find cooking stressful

Perhaps if we were more excited about what we were cooking, we would not be so bored or tired by it.

The frequent jollof rice at every gathering and looking for the right person to pound yam can leave the most enthusiastic cook disillusioned.

For parties, most of the meals are prepared locally with a firewood or a burner and that is stressful.

5. They enjoy these persistent arguments

Real married couples are solving life issues, but single people online love these hypothetical arguments.

This is not to say it is not a real issue in some marriages but it is not as important.