Did you know that rockhopper penguin mothers have to risk being eaten by seals to get food for their babies and then hop up steep rocks to get back to the father while he keeps the chick safe? They do this every day. I learned this while watching “The Americas.” Sheesh. I thought I had it bad.
I wonder how many times in the decades of marriage and motherhood I have answered “What’s for dinner?” I also wonder how many times I asked my own mother. Every family has someone who takes the lead planning and cooking meals. Sometimes it is the husband, but traditionally it has been the wife.
My mother was a good cook, and I think I am pretty good too, but I admit to limited menus. She learned to cook in the south and then married an Italian, so that expanded her horizons. I have branched out a little beyond meat, potatoes, or pasta, but I have never made anything spicy like Indian food. My and my husband’s taste palettes can’t take anything too hot. He says he would rather sweat from exercise than food.
Taste palettes are only one factor in deciding, of course. Budget and the number of people who need to eat often make decisions for us. I consider myself lucky that most of my family likes leftovers or “must-goes” as I have heard them called.
Although I am often tired of hearing and answering, “What’s for dinner?” I am grateful that I live in a time and place where there are so many choices. After watching the penguins, I am also thankful I don’t have to hop up rocks to get home from the store.