Can't Cook?

I'm always a bit amazed when one of my friends tells me they can't cook. If it weren't incredibly rude, I might respond, "Really? You can't read and follow directions?" I understand that it does require some skill to create gourmet dinners, and there are some cooking techniques that can't be understood simply by reading a recipe. However, it hardly takes a genius to mix a bunch of ingredients together and put them into a 9 by 13 glass dish to bake. It is also quite easy to boil pasta, or dump some things into a crock pot and turn it on. These are basics and a good place to start when culinary challenged. From there, one could ask their close friends or relatives for a few very simple recipes. I have recipes that my 2 year old could probably make, if she could read and were tall enough to reach the counter! Cooking intimidates people when it really shouldn't. Start small, practice, add new skills from time to time, and voila! Sure, mistakes will occur every now and then. One time Cody was making some ginger cookies that required a teaspoon of ground cloves. Cody put in a tablespoon. Not good. I was making a cake a few months ago and completely forgot to add a cup of water. That was one chewy (and disgusting) cake. I had to ask a stranger in the grocery store what "oleo" is when I first moved out on my own, and I have also attacked unsuspecting old ladies in the meat section, begging for help as to which cut of meat I should buy for some vague recipe. The key is actually trying to cook, instead of a wimpy claim of ignorance.