Como “Mantenerse Bien!”
When I informally surveyed men I know for this piece, my buddy Ray, a lawyer told me,
“Every Latino man ‘debe mantenerse’ as my mother would say which includes ‘limpiar como dios manda’ y a cocinar!”
This means a guys’ gotta be able to hold his own around the house and the kitchen. Too many Latino men think that housework and cooking are for the women, and brother if you think that you are not only a caveman, you are wrong. First, have you met today’s Latina women? Many of them do not see their “place” as being in the kitchen and will promptly remind you of this if you suggest otherwise. The truth is fellas, having these skills is as liberating, as it is gratifying because you should never be with your +1 because you need someone to “take care” of you, but because you want that person in your life. If you are going to cook, you better know at least one dish from the home country. Some chuletas frita or bistec a lo pobre — get the idea? “You don’t have to be a chef,” says boxer/comic book/pop culture expert friend Sergio. “But at least be able to make a pot of arroz blanco.” A man who can cook, especially comida latina, is a rare, and valued gem. Jewels like that get polished more often.
