My evolution@Cooking
One thing that the Pandemic has done to most people around the world is to bring out and let them channel their inner halwai/bawarchi in them(you may choose to read it as your ‘Inner Chef’ if that sounds more sophisticated).
I mean there isn’t much to do when one has to/needs to stay at home all day and work – like professional work and unfortunately for the most part personal household chores too. Food then brings immense joy, happiness, and comfort brightening up the boring schedules, lack of travel and limited to none social gatherings.
The topic of cooking makes me nostalgically go down the memory lane, exploring and divulging of the truths behind my culinary experiments.
I was in Grade 3 when I made a Roti/Chapatti (Indian flat bread) for the first time in my life, and it ended up looking quite similar to an island of sorts, reminding of the map of Sri Lanka we’d read at school recently. Its burnt marks representing the dense jungles. Still all of it was ate ‘down’ with hefty amounts of mango pickle. I think for honesty’s sake, I probably didn’t like it, but couldn’t show that only to prove a point to my mother of my capable of being independent. I had to show that I could fend one meal for myself out of the innumerable ones she’d provided me with over the years.
Hence began my first act of rebellion, in response to given Dal (Indian pulse curry), which as an 8 year-old I did not appreciate much.
This was me, as opposed to today’s Millennials/Gen Z kids, who will order online at the first chance or will throw tantrums and as a last resort with their pestering cum convincing power force their parents to cook something they like. Those or running off to a nearby market/cafe to order something better suited to their tastes. While I, chose to show off my ‘chef skills’, standing on a stool to reach the kitchen slab, too short in height then to reach to gas stove but not too little to show my will.
Yet, my cooking level more or less stayed at Roti to Parantha (fried flat bread cooked in oil/clarified butter) to Aloo sabzi(potato vegetable). The only thing improving were the shapes of my Roti. Probably, that also improved as my mother made me do ‘seva’ in Gurudwara temple, where I would often make Indian flatbreads like roti and pooris.
From thereafter, I ‘graduated’ to cooking instant noodles famously known as Maggi and Indian breakfast favorite Poha, during my college days and stayed at that level for years.
Every time I was asked to contribute in a Potluck anywhere, I would cook for these two items mentioned above, which in modesty, I knew to cook better than others. This was my humble opinion, but also because my friends or colleagues or family appreciated these dishes cooked by me, while ‘demanding’ them at the slightest of opportunities.
Also, those who boil water and add Maggi to it, calling that ‘thing’ Maggi, have not yet tasted the wonders that seemingly simple dish can do, and can be levelled up to. In fact, I have been so proud of myself for cooking tasteful Maggi, perfect in every way, that I added ‘Cooking’ as one of my hobbies in my CV/Resume. Also on that note, this is a joke, make in jest, and not to be taken seriously :).
As a kid I recollect hearing one of our senior teachers at the school saying “Cooking is a waste of time”. This was said probably as a woman, who much like other women/mothers expected to ‘do this’ (read cooking) for their family till the day they died. Or it could be possible that she was pissed off and she said it out loud in the heat of the moment. Anyway, however may have been the case, I took it too seriously, almost literally, as I really looked up to her then and hence kept believing her saying as a fact.
Cooking is indeed a learnt skill and I strongly believe that irrespective of gender, age, etc., everyone should imbibe this skill, at least to the level that makes living and existing as an adult easy for them.
I think I feel blessed to have been pampered to an extent, to not be expected to cook, except a few weeks (all together from school life till well into my £0’s). This was also when I simply had to and I did try my best on such times for my family.
While we are all aware of everything that our mothers and women at large do for their families, this ‘skill’ is taken for granted. It is not even gratified a position worthy of being considered ‘work’, rather is forced into the non-laborious unpaid work bracket, which by the way is not even counted in our GDP! Yet, families would stop functioning the efficient and seamless ways that they do, especially in patriarchal societies like India, if girls/women/mothers were not to do it. Sadly, cooking still remains to be the most undervalued ‘thing’ .
I realized that mothers are able to cook, give, and provide almost selflessly all through their lives, partly because of their unconditional love for their family and kids, but also due to it being their ‘duty’. Yet, it is more of the former that makes them do everything possible. During the pandemic I realized this closely when I got to cooking not because I was particularly interested in cooking, but out of love for my family who were affected by Covid. So, duty called, and I rose up to the occasion.
While cooking is a never-ending learning process, I can now cook Indian food the way I like with some experiments, here and there. More than me being proud, my family and a few relatives are happier as they probably feel that I am now ‘fit’ to be married away. This seems almost unintelligible to me, as if the purpose of my life and birth has been leading me to cook for my partner and probably his family/friends/relatives. And that my cooking skills were the only lacking factor keeping me single till date, while my friends would have kids less than half of my age now (not knowing that those kids are most likely of the exact age of my inner child!).
I finally came to this conclusion that love and care are the actual motivators behind cooking, especially for others. Unless it’s someone’s passion or they’re being paid or worse-case scenario – being hungry becomes the major motivator for cooking.
Following are some pics of food:
You may now cook your judgement about this blog in your head. Happy Cooking!
