In my experience, dating and otherwise, very few women can cook anymore. It seems the vast majority fall into one of two categories. Either they can't cook and are honesty about it, or they say they can but really can't. Most seem to fall into the latter group. They say they cook well, and may even believe they do, but in reality they can't do more than a simple stir fry or boiling water and warming sauce from a jar.
The only exception was a girl I dated who grew up in an Italian American family and learned to cook from a young age. She made such good sauces from scratch, great pasta dishes, the best lasagna I've ever had, super tasty meatballs, and lots of other delicious stuff. Everyone in her family cooked well, and the parents made sure the kids learned those skills. I learned to cook from my parents too, both of whom were pretty good cooks, but not as good as her.
Why are American women my age who can actually cook so rare now? My theory is that their mothers didn't cook because by that time cooking was considered a demeaning traditional gender role. Or maybe today's women just don't care enough to learn and would rather eat fast food or takeout.
