I do think that people who say they can't cook are far too concerned about complex recipes and making gourmet creations. It doesn't have to be that hard at all. When I was still living with my parents I was never too keen to cook because I was afraid I would stuff up, so I kinda always resorted to "I can't cook" to 'save people from finding that out themselves', I suppose. To an extent though, it can be laziness. I've shown friends how to make easy dinners, and I still see them resort to 2-minute noodles because they say they "can't cook".