YOU SPENT FIVE YEARS HIDING THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY COOK

michael rovner: She came to the relationship with zero kitchen appliances, pots, pans, knives, cookbooks, kitchen tools, dishes, or even cutlery. Never did she mention family recipes from her childhood that she couldn’t wait for me to try. Before quarantine, I’d never even seen her toast a piece of bread. keisha rovner: His cooking was the main reason I agreed to marry him. His enthusiasm to feed us—from recipe research to menu planning, to shopping, and the way he tries to get everyone involved—it’s like he’s selling us the specials. I even enjoy watching him trying to disable the smoke alarm. From the very beginning, I said “I don’t cook.” But I didn’t mislead him, really. I just never wanted to participate. mr: There have been so many times over the past five years where she’d beg me to make her a snack. She’d say, “You know I’m useless in there.” I’d throw something simple together, or do some little twist like put mayo on the outside of grilled cheese to get it crispier in the pan, and she’d act like I was Gordon Ramsay. kr: Before quarantine, my days at work ended at eight or nine, sometimes later, so by the time I got home, I was too tired to think about cooking dinner. I figured, Have at it, my dude. mr: Suddenly, a week into quarantine, she whipped up homemade mac and cheese without a recipe. It was like witnessing someone pretend to need a wheelchair and then get up and do laps around a track. kr: We were in the middle of a pandemic, so I thought, Now’s the time. I wanted this mac and cheese, and I was the only one able to make it. So I told him I know how to cook. It felt great, just a huge relief. mr: In retrospect, I think the clues were there all along. When we used to go to restaurants, Keisha always ordered better than me. It got to the point where I’d just have what she’s having to prevent diner’s remorse. At home, she’d usually taste whatever I had cooked and could tell me what would make it taste even better— directing me like I was some line cook.