What’s For Dinner?

Respect, You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman, Chain of Fools, I Say a Little Prayer, and Think are just a few of the songs that Aretha Franklin is known for.

She is recognized as the Queen of Soul.

With 44 Grammy nominations and 18 wins, Aretha made history as the first female inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The Queen of Soul is a force to be reckoned with. Her honors also include the National Medal of the Arts and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Posthumously, she was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for her contributions to American music and culture for more than five decades.

Growing up in Michigan, I listened to her music on the radio and loved to belt out her songs like I was one of her backup singers. However, with all due RESPECT, seeing her in a 2008 interview allowed me to relate to her on a whole new level.

In addition to her honorary degrees from numerous prestigious universities, she was the mother of four boys. When asked about her biggest challenge, she said, "The biggest challenge is, for me, figuring out what to cook for dinner. Nightly, you know, just night after night. What is it gonna be tonight? ... I did that last night. That's the hardest thing right there.” Later in the interview, she confirmed that she cooked for herself and her family, which surprised the interviewer.

Aretha, I hear you loud and clear, and so do so many women. When I heard her response in the interview, I had to listen to it several times. I kept thinking she was the Queen, yet, like the rest of us, she was tired of figuring out what’s for dinner.

I remember being in my thirties, still excited about cooking and trying new recipes. And, my mom, in her sixties, was so over the whole business of meal planning, shopping, and cooking. I couldn’t understand it. Of course, she cooked for a small army, our large family of twelve, but I always thought she enjoyed it, as she was a fabulous cook. Even when we all left the nest, she preferred to go out to eat rather than cook for two.

At various times in my life, I have enjoyed cooking, felt I was decent at it, and tried new recipes. But like Aretha and my mom, I was over it after decades of seasonal meal rotation. Salads and grilling in the summer, and soups and stews in the fall. Sadly, I love eating and trying new foods, but I just don’t want to make them anymore. Luckily, in retirement, my husband has caught the cooking bug and will search for new recipes to try. Like many couples we know, we get into meal ruts, rotating the same menus over and over. We try to balance it with dining out, ordering in, and one of my favorites, breakfast for dinner. I am the queen of scrambled eggs. And, there has to be some respect in that. Right?

Aretha, I feel you and appreciate that women everywhere share your challenge of ‘what to make for dinner night after night.’

Bit by bit, that’s all she wrote…