Friendly to Senior
Care · Conversation
昔はよくお料理をされましたか？得意なお料理はありましたか？ — Did you cook a lot in the past? Was there any dish you were particularly good at? (Care · Conversation, Friendly to Senior, JLPT N4)
You
昔はよくお料理をされましたか？得意なお料理はありましたか？
むかしはよくおりょうりをされましたか？とくいなおりょうりはありましたか？
Did you cook a lot in the past? Was there any dish you were particularly good at?
Romaji: Mukashi wa yoku o-ryori wo saremashita ka? Tokui na o-ryori wa arimashita ka? / Reply Romaji: Nimono wa tokui deshita yo.
Reply
煮物は得意でしたよ。今でも味を覚えています。
にものはとくいでしたよ。いまでもあじをおぼえています。
I was good at simmered dishes. I still remember exactly how they tasted.
Gesture & etiquette
React with genuine interest — ask follow-up questions about the recipe. Memories of home cooking often connect to family and loved ones. Be ready to follow wherever the conversation naturally leads.
Cooking questions tap into procedural memory — the smell of the kitchen, family reactions. These memories often remain vivid and emotionally positive. Asking about a specialty dish frames the senior's past self as skilled and capable, reinforcing positive identity.