Bwahahaha

No one would say “can I short order cook something for you.” The person would just say “what can I make for you?” Like how a janitor would not say “can I janitor this hallway.” He/she would say “can I clean this hallway.”

My mom also used this term in the 80s.

Child of Mine by Ellyn Satter came out in 1983. And she used that "don't be a short order cook" expression, over and over again.

Anonymous wrote:I was born mid 80s and I know my mom used this phrase growing up. She was awash with crazy sayings and phrases though. She picked them up quickly when she heard a good one.

So what parenting guru was popular in the mid 80s who used this term and told parents not to be one?

I grew up in the late 60s and didn't ever hear the phrase.

Ohhh... when did Ellyn Satter's first book come out?

OP here -- yes, I know what the term means.

Thank you PPs who stated that your moms used the phrase. I *NEVER* heard it in a home situation, growing up. I guess my mom said "I'm not going to make two meals" but we didn't use the term "short order cook".

My dad, I remember every weekend, actually being a short order cook for us! He would say, "Who wants eggs? Would you like them poached or scrambled? Do you want bacon or sausage?" and then cook what we wanted! Both days he did that! (But he didn't call it short order cooking.)

Again, I ask -- does anyone use it, in the home (i.e. not talking about in an ad looking for an actual short order cook!), in a positive manner? As in, "Can I short order cook something for you?"

I understand it but I think it's getting as overused as "everyone gets a trophy."

Sure, mom shouldn't cook four meals. But mom is still an asshole if she just makes tempeh and quinoa stir fry, plops it in front of toddlers, and blithely declares she won't be a short order cook. Families all take into account one another's likes and dislikes. You women out there, do you really serve your husbands dishes they hate just to make a point?

I was born mid 80s and I know my mom used this phrase growing up. She was awash with crazy sayings and phrases though. She picked them up quickly when she heard a good one.

I won't be your maid, your chauffer or your short order cook.

Get it?

On DCUM it means "I don't want to good a bunch of different meals for everyone at dinnertime."

For instance, Suzie gets Mac n' Cheese, Tommy gets pizza, Dad gets leftover Chinese food and mom microwaves a Lean Cuisine. Obviously my example is for a family in 1987.

In DCUM land it's meant to avoid being someone who will quickly cook anything someone requests, vs. "this is dinner, eat it because there is nothing else."

FYI, we have never been short order cooks for the kids. Dinner is dinner. We also don't ever cook things the kids would flat out find gross.

Anonymous wrote:I have some memories of my mom, in the 1980s when I was a child, saying "I'm not going to be a short-order cook!" with the same implication that it carries on here.

Exactly this. 80s, my mom said it. Maybe it's regional? I'm from the north east.

I have some memories of my mom, in the 1980s when I was a child, saying "I'm not going to be a short-order cook!" with the same implication that it carries on here.

Anonymous wrote:When did people first start using the term "short order cook", in anything other than an actual diner job situation?

I don't ever remember hearing the phrase until I had kids and started reading DCUM. And I only hear it in one context -- people refusing to short order cook.

Does anyone use it in the positive? Like, "Good morning, sweetie, what can I short order cook for your breakfast today?"

Or is it always something you refuse to do or be?

It describes a situation in which the person cooking (usually mom) is making one dinner for herself and her spouse, one dinner for child #1 and one dinner for child #2. It's being asked to do extra work in order to accommodate picky eating from kids.

From a quick Google search:

"Short order cooks work in restaurants and diners that prepare fast, simple food: sandwiches, eggs, fries, burgers and other similar food. They usually work on many orders at once, getting them all out as fast as possible for their hungry customers."

When did people first start using the term "short order cook", in anything other than an actual diner job situation?

I don't ever remember hearing the phrase until I had kids and started reading DCUM. And I only hear it in one context -- people refusing to short order cook.

Does anyone use it in the positive? Like, "Good morning, sweetie, what can I short order cook for your breakfast today?"

Or is it always something you refuse to do or be?