If you are seeking gender differences, look no further

Males and females are very different and I for one applaud those differences. Females are smooth and soft and indent where I jut out, and jut out just where they're supposed to. Females smell nice, have soft voices, and walk in a manner that catches my attention. It's all just so darn nice, and I believe that is just the way it's supposed to be.

There was a drive afoot in certain strident educational circles a number of years ago to nullify gender differences, and the more dedicated to this cause were determined to prove that little girls were no different from little boys, and that ultimately, when the teachers' union 'ordained new order' arrived, there would be a blending of both sexes. Of course, this new order would follows a stalwart feminist agenda, and boys would be profoundly discouraged from such erstwhile male bastions as nose-picking, urinating while standing, and audibly farting. This followed the assumption that little girls never indulged in such practices. And, of course, they don't. My wife has told me so.

That new order never did fully arrive, but there has been in recent years a certain 'blending', or at least compromise between the sexes that seems quite healthy. Males are still allowed to be boys in certain behaviors, and girls can be as 'girlie' as they like, as long as both groups concede that equal rights should be accorded at all times. I certainly acknowledge the changes, and endeavor to act accordingly. One gesture on my part has been to put the seat back down at least 70 percent of the time. Not bad, considering I was born in a different era, and was raised in a house with a lone female and four males.

However, there is one area in which the twain shall never meet. That is at the dining table, or the grocery store. Choices in acceptable foodstuffs are simply miles apart. Take zucchini, for example. Females actually like zucchini. They will march into the produce section, and exultantly note that zucchini is on special. Another such thing is eggplant. If it weren't for females, there would be no eggplant. Even Greek males wouldn't eat eggplant dishes, despite the fact Socrates extolled its virtues. But, we know all about Socrates and his predilections. Actually, I made that up about Socrates but, since this is 'my' blog, I can do that. Anyway, the obnoxious looking dish above is, if you can believe it, a zucchini and eggplant lasagna. That's right, both of them in one sorry dish. Lasagna is a wonderful treat, but it is a treat that virtually all males would see as something that involves liberal lashings of meat and cheese. On the other hand, many females of my acquaintance would suggest that maybe this dish has a place in the world and, "wouldn't it be nice to try something different?" No, not really. Let's face it, if men had complete sway, there would be no such things as zucchini and eggplant -- or courgettes and aubergines, for my more European constituents.

Truly, food seems to be a gender-specific thing. Not that both sexes don't indulge each other periodically, but generally speaking men favor dishes that involve a lot of meat, and a paucity of vegetables. That is not to say that males eschew all veggies. For example, potatoes and corn on the cob are generally fancied by guys. That's because they are sort of like meat in that they call for a lot of gravy, or butter or some other sort of animal by-product to be at their best. I used to have a friend who staunchly maintained that potato chips and ketchup were vegetables, and such items would easily satisfy his daily requirements.

Women, on the other hand, are partial to things like salad. Men like salad, too, provided it has the term 'potato' in front of it. Women gravitate towards fish much more than males. Men like fish a lot if they have caught it themselves, but otherwise they look to mammalian origins for their fodder. I suspect, in my generalization here, if the bulk of grocery shopping was carried out by males, produce sections would be very small -- containing mainly varieties of corn and potatoes, with a few onions, some garlic, and maybe fresh asparagus thrown in. There would assuredly be no broccoli or cauliflower areas, and Brussels sprouts would appear only at Thanksgiving and Christmas, as a suitable accompaniment for turkey, mashed potatoes, and Niblets corn -- all of which must be drenched in gravy.

Now, for my female friends who might be concerned about my cholesterol intake, be assured that I have moderated my attitudes towards veggies, and even fruit, for the sake of healthful eating. I will, however, cut no quarter in the direction of zucchini and eggplant. Final question; why is it called eggplant, anyway? It's got nothing to do with eggs, which are another wonderful item in the masculine lexicon of desirable foodstuffs.