Sir Singer writes:
I think I grew up fairly independent. I learned how to cook, clean, launder, etc., as a child, but most of my female friends who live on their own still have cleaner houses than me. They generally are more on their at-home shite than I am. Meanwhile, I'm a good cook, but a house that relied upon me for cleanliness would be a relatively sad site (just ask my roommates).
I'll second that, with a caveat. I'm a really good cook. Don't believe me? Ask my girlfriend, she can field questions in the comments. I just am -- it's a very weird, highly unexpected talent. Things I make turn out way better than they have any right to. Further, I love cooking, so it works out well. But I hate cleaning. Worse, I don't think it important. Not so much cleaning up clutter, I know I need to do that, but mopping, dusting, vacuuming, cleaning mirrors, scrubbing sinks -- if I lived on my own, this stuff just wouldn't be done. Now, if someone tells me to do it and it's my share of the chores, I will, but I'll do it with the same sentiment I use when washing dishes before popping them in the dishwasher -- why!?
Now I don't know if this is a socialization thing, a me thing, or what, but I'll echo Matt. Any house relying on me to cook is fine, any house relying on me to clean will be quarantined within the year. My best guess is that it's a body thing: my stomach hurts if I don't feed it, nothing aches if I don't vacuum, and who cares if there's toothpaste in the sink?