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Love stories are also cooking stories. If in the family sphere, good meals relate more to a question of transmission, they have a power of seduction when romantic feelings come into play, just as they can be grounds for breakup.
How many chefs bring back the memory of this grandmother with whom they acquired a taste for baking by preparing a yogurt cake? And how many great chefs tell the story of a dish by talking about their mother or the flavors that influenced their childhood? We are accustomed to associating, rightly, the pleasures of the table with our relationship with family and the culinary heritage that we build up by passing down recipes from generation to generation. Cooking is a love story, with a capital A, and therefore not only concerns one’s parents or ancestors, but also one’s other half. And with Valentine’s Day approaching, a HelloFresh study, carried out by OpinionWay, considers it appropriate to remind you of this.
Cooking, an act of seduction…
Because we should not underestimate the power of cooking in love stories. For more than half of French people (52%), cooking good meals for someone is not only an act with a nurturing purpose, but it is also… attractive! In addition to the use of emojis resembling the features of an eggplant or an apricot to write sexts, the culinary sphere is studded with gestures and words of a suggestive nature. A quarter of French people go so far as to consider that cooking is more intimate than having sex. Thus, 91% of those questioned recognize sex appeal in those who know how to handle the tail of a saucepan.
But there is (fortunately) not only the sexual side, there is also this question of showing affection when you start cooking for your sweetheart, in the same way that a grandmother delights her grandchildren with a batch of waffles when she receives them. In short, it’s a proof of love. Its importance is not negligible since no less than 72% prefer to have a good meal prepared for them rather than receive flowers or a gift. If you take action, in short, put on the apron, 64% of French people are likely to believe that the romantic relationship has evolved into something more solid. To the wise…
…and breakup!
What if those who are having difficulty finding love, or even partners currently in difficulty, questioned their knowledge of cooking to change the situation? No less than half of French people (51%) admit to their sensitivity when it comes to serving a good meal prepared by their significant other and to their desire to benefit from this kind of attention more regularly.
In some cases, lack of training in the kitchen can even lead to the end of a relationship. 13% of French people admit that they could break up with someone who doesn’t know how to cook. At a time when chefs have become hyper-connected and social networks are an inexhaustible resource for finding a restaurant, the younger generation is particularly sensitive to giving importance to food in their lives. 18% of 18-34 year olds have already separated from their partner because they were not on the same wavelength on this point.
This OpinionWay study for HelloFresh was carried out from December 6 to 7, 2023 on 1,036 people representative of the French national population aged 18 and over.
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