Summary

Gay begins the fifth section of her book by talking about how she enjoys cooking. She expresses particular affection for Food Network host Ina Garten, whom she argues "makes cooking seem easy, accessible" (217). Gay admits that she may not be the best cook and that she cannot cook without a recipe, but notes that she enjoys the act of creating something from scratch. She recounts an anecdote of cooking a couple recipes from meal delivery service Blue Apron, which she notes helped her learn how to cook despite the meals not turning out very well. She then explains how she has mastered one of her mother's Haitian recipes, but ultimately asserts that "I love food, but it is so difficult to enjoy food" (226).

Next, Gay transitions into talking about her sexuality, recalling the point in her life when she began dating women and...