Saturday, March 3, 2012

Weekend Cooking - 'have the men had enough?'

Weekend Cooking hosted at Beth Fish Reads is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs.

Excerpts from two very different books I'm reading but both touching on the same theme.


The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte.......the doctrine of Mrs Markham....
"...in all household matters, we have only two things to consider, first, what's proper to be done, and secondly, what's most agreeable to the gentlemen of the house - anything will do for the ladies."
Daughter Rose to her brother.... 


".....-we can't do too much for you - it's always so - if there's anything particularly nice at table, Mama winks and nods at me, to abstain from it, and if I don't attend to that, she whispers, ' Don't eat so much of that, Rose, Gilbert will like it for his supper' -- I'm nothing at all..............in the kitchen it's - ' Make that pie a large one, Rose, I daresay the boys will be hungry; - and don't put so much pepper in, they'll not like that' - or - 'Rose, don't put so many spices in the pudding, Gilbert likes it plain,' - or ' Mind you put plenty of currants in that cake, Fergus likes plenty.' If I say ' Well Mamma,I don't,' I'm told I ought not to think of myself." p57


'Have The Men Had Enough?' by Margaret Forster
Grandma has senile dementia and constantly thinks she's her old self of the 1930/40s with a doctrine exactly the same as Mrs Markhams.
Family mealtimes are a nightmare...

"Have the men had enough?
Never mind the men.
Which men?
Hurry up, the potatoes will be cold.
I'd love a potato.
Then take one, Grandma.
Have the men had enough?

Have the men had enough?
Yes, thank you, Mother.
Who's Mother?
You are, go on, Mother, help yourself.
Hold the plate steady.
Go on, Grandma,
Have the men had enough?


I wonder what these women would have thought of the modern day male invasion of the kitchen!



16 comments:

  1. Fun quotes to choose! Thank goodness us girls get a look in these days!

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    1. Times have certainly changed since then, Marg.

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  2. Love these quotes. Glad I have a say and don't have to defer.

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    1. I think all the ladies will agree with that.

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  3. These are great quotes, but I'm glad times have changed!

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  4. I feel like picking a fight with a man. But there are none here except my youngest son who is very sweet(!). Still, I am glad to be alive NOW when I matter as much as my brothers. ;)

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    1. It's hard to imagine being in such a secondary position to the boys.

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  5. Great quotes. I love when my reading has these sorts of echoes across books.
    Joy's Book Blog

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    1. So do I, Joy and it happens quite often.

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  6. I can't even imagine myself living in a time [or sadly, a present day place in the world..] where women must always put men and their preferences first. Not that I don't love cooking my man his favorite foods... but what a different frame of mind we're in today, right? Thank goodness! ha!

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    1. Love is a far nicer motivator than duty - we are more fortunate these days.

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  7. Great quotes. I'm glad we don't think that way anymore, though.

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