I actually enjoy cooking with others. The key is that whoever came up with the menu is in charge. That person has to verbalize what they need. If you cook with someone long enough you don't really need those verbalizations anymore.
I have a friend that comes over to cook with me from time to time. We've been doing it so long that we can absolutely predict what the other one is going to need. We're not really into each other and it's still pretty intimate being in that space together anticipating each other's needs.
I don't understand how two people could bump into each other in the snack jar and fit perfectly in it together, then decide to inhabit it together after realizing that together they formed something truly beautiful, but then later one change their mind and retract their hand
but i digress