We're all good cooks here. But does your family, partner, or you, get "Food fatigue' Where it's more about you, than the audience?

I'm the chief cook - but not bottle-washer - around here, and when I really hit the cooking wall (crazy busy at work, tired, whatever,) it's usually pizza or Chinese food delivery. I've never encountered complaints, but frankly if I did, I'd be happy to direct them to the cereal boxes.

Best food porn ever: having my family cook for me from whatever box, freezer, or restaurant they choose and delivering it to me while sitting on the couch with my feet up and a s*** eating grin on my face.

First off Anitaelctric is right! And not cooking for a couple of days for family that is not appreciating your cooking is not weaponizing food. In my family we call it fending for yourself. Food is only a weapon if thrown with the intent of hurting someone. Quit with the drama!

Now, one thing that happens in my family is that we all get sick of food for a week or two and can never decide on what to eat. During this time nothings sounds good. So we go back to simple things like salads, plain buttered noodles with a little parm. Sourdough chicken sandwiches and saute'd vegetables. Oh yah, I have never liked Mac and cheese home made. Melted cheese and noodles aren't my thing but I love that stuff in the blue box. I think it's a childhood thing! It was the only "JUNK" (my moms label) food that I was allowed to have.

Couldnt agree more! I find it funny when people are SHOCKED that we eat delivery pizza or carryout chinese....sometimes I'm too tired to grocery shop or he is too tired to do cleanup and we dont want to dress up. I'm a foodie but not a food snob. There are good options out there, so enjoy them.

After a marathon session of singularly providing sustenance to the family, there are times I do relate to anitaelectrics and aargersi's sentiment, when the pouches of 'heat & eat' foods emerge from the Pantry.. The other half usually gets the point..

We definitly take nights off from full mean cooking that range from soup and salad to frozen pizza to DELIVERY - sometimes you just want to lay on the couch and scratch your belly and have someone bring stuff to the front door!!!

@antialectric

Oh, If I wanted to do passive aggressive cooking, I'd serve some MRE's.
But I shouldn't weaponize food. It should be what makes people happy. Comfortable.
Sometimes, they do just want some trash cooking. Shouldn't be a every day thing. IMHO.

Eff that! Your partner is completely spoiled if that is the case. You should refuse to cook for a week. By the following Monday that person will be moaning and groaning over your food like it is nectar of the Gods.

Nobody in my house ever has yearnings for frozen pizza or pot pies or boxed mac and cheese. I don't think it's that we're trying too hard, it's just that those products aren't part of our food vocabulary. When we want to simplify, dinner's more likely to be a salad that we pull together from stuff in the refrigerator or a simple roast chicken with whatever else we can scare up without much effort.

Hey, there's a reason frozen pizza was invented.

Hey Sam1148 - maybe the mischief is in the term 'food porn'. What is that? Food heals and nurtures and connects - or not. In my experience, we don't become jaded with what is on our plate, we may become jaded with not honoring the source of the food and the cook and the conversations great, simple, food allows for. Mac n cheese or frozen pizza - go for it.

Maybe you are just tired and want to eat and not cook. Do it! Eat all that stuff - including Cheetos.

Then there is some room to find out what nurtures you as well as your partners and family.

Food porn happens only when I'm trying out a recipe to post on my blog, and friday evenings when its a bit dressed up with a bottle of wine. the rest of the week its standard fare (I'm Indian,so its usually rice, or roti with one dal (lentil) dish, cut up sticks of carrots & cucumbers, and yogurt.. Most of the time, its eat outta the pan it was made in! or occasionally left overs for us with something prepared for the children..I completely second boulangere.. Dinner shd never be a performance!

What a wonderful question. I cook alone every night, and believe me, I rarely fill my plate with food porn. The summer my daughter and I cooked our way through Joanne Harris's My French Table was all about how to fill the empty space left by my son not coming home from college for the first time. One of my favorite fill-me-feed-me-make-me-happy dinners is onions &garlic sautéed in olive oil, a can of tuna packed in olive oil added (along with the oil), a can of tomatoes, salt and pepper over my past of choice or whatever I happen to have on hand. Dinner never has to be a performance. And probably shouldn't be.