Perfect pairing: Bobby and Giada dish out advice on love

Because I am a Certified Foodie and they are 2 of my favorite Food Network Stars.. Enjoy!

By Matt Murray, TODAY

 

Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis are the perfect pair in the kitchen, and now they've teamed up to help solve problems in your romantic life. Both in successful marriages, they're offering their guy/gal perspective on the everyday issues that come with sustaining relationships


Q: Sometimes it feels like my boyfriend isn't the brightest bulb in the box. He's fun to be around and I really like him, but an intellectual connection is missing. Is that reason enough to end the relationship?

 

 

Giada: It kind of depends on what you want out of a relationship. I think that for a short time it can be fun. You kind of end up becoming best friends as your relationship grows. If he's fun to be around, that's great until a certain time and then you realize 'I want something a little bit deeper,' because to have a long-lasting relationship, you've got to have a little more in common. In my opinion, it's a deal-breaker.

Bobby: You want to be stimulated by somebody's brains as well, not just the physicality of things. Although, it depends what she looks like ...


Q: My wife is a slob. She'll leave dirty dishes on the table, clothes on the floor and hair in the shower drain. How can I get her to clean up her act?

Bobby: I don't think you're going to change her. That's part of the problem. Personally, I'm a guy that likes femininity and I like when women have that feminine side to them. I don't like sloppiness. I have a tendency to leave a shirt or something like that on the ground. My wife will pick that up, but if it's underwear or socks, my wife will leave them there. It's almost like 'pick them up yourself,' and then I learn to pick them up.

Giada: So maybe that's how you do it? I pick up after my husband. It's been a long time, and I still pick up after my husband. Sometimes in life you just have to accept the way people are and move on. I'm not (sloppy at home). Even when I get to a hotel room when I travel, I put all my toiletries out on a towel. It's a little OCD, I must admit.


Q: How do you keep a relationship hot after you have children?

Giada: I was with my husband for 13 years before we had our daughter Jade. (The relationship) changes. I'm not going to lie. It changes because the focus of what you talk about changes. I think getting away on a romantic weekend, even if it's just a staycation, you can have some time alone. Go to a hotel in your own city for a night. You need some time away together. Have an understanding that you're not going to talk about your kids for that one evening.

Bobby: I think a lot of people make the mistake of giving up their privacy at home as a couple. I think there's a place for family and your kids. And I think there's a place for mommy and daddy, period. It's important to draw the line at home. It takes effort.


Q: Over the years, my wife has become a real nag, nitpicking about every little thing I do. How do I get her off my back?

Bobby: Get rid of her. Nagging is one of those things that starts off kind of cute and funny, here and there. And as it grows it becomes a bigger problem. Every once and a while my wife will say, 'I feel like you're picking on me a little bit,' and she nips it in the bud. I like that. We both do it sometimes, but we're good at saying 'Enough already,' because you don't want it to grow into a bigger problem.

 

 

Giada: I think nitpicking has something to do with that person's frustration that may not have anything to do with what they're nitpicking about, but a bigger-picture thing that they haven't discussed with you. The key to a long-lasting, good relationship is communication. The more you communicate, the better off you are. In an Italian family, you yell.


Q: My boyfriend broke up with me and now I want to get revenge by making him jealous. What can I do?

Giada: I think you can use social media to help you. Take a nice picture of yourself, looking really good, with clothes on! Not saying with whom, or doing what — the power of suggestion — then move on. If he texts you, silence is golden.

Bobby: It seems to me like you have a lot of things to solving this problem, which is kind of scaring me. The right answer to this question, Giada, is move on. He broke up with you, move on.