According to the Calgary Herald, a Canadian newspaper, there is a new word in existence that may be of interest to you. A "gastrosexual" is a man who uses cooking as a way to seduce you (www.urbandictionary.com). I don't think this is a new idea--just a new term for it. And, they've got the data to suggest that cooking is an effective aphrodisiac. According to the Calgary Herald, an English food company, PurAsia, conducted a survey which found that people who can cook are perceived as being more attractive. Many of us could tell a story or two about being wooed (okay, I'm speaking from experience) with the help of a little fettuccine and olive oil.

So why is cooking so sexy? A study by Wansink, Cheney and Chan found that men and women differ in their perception of "comfort foods." Women label prepared snack foods like chips and ice cream as their favorite comfort foods. Men, on the other hand, tend to prefer foods like steaks, casseroles and mashed potatoes. Why the gender difference? The authors of the study hypothesized that it is because women associate foods like casseroles and steaks with the work it takes to prepare them--and that is not comforting.