Guest Column | Continuously yours…Kitchen

Some quick dishes get prepared, which turn out super delicious, and mostly of lesser quantity; they can’t be consumed later – there are none left

I don’t cook. Actually, I can’t. But I am all respect for the talent, hard-work, vision and the intuition that goes into it. All my life, I have seen my mother taking wonderful care of kitchen – both nutrition-wise and taste-wise. But I also witnessed that it’s a never-ending task, whether the lady likes it or not (and if she is the only one in the family who knows how to cook, then even whether she is feeling well or not). Also, the outputs of kitchen garner numerous comments, compliments and complaints. There are some basic happenings that revolve around the “rasoi” and form “kahaani ghar ghar ki”, especially in present day context. Here are a few:

There is a dialogue in the movie “Mitr-My friend” (2002) – “Cooking is a therapy”. (Shutterstock)

Numbers mismatch

One would expect mainly one or two items being prepared for any meal. But the numbers have changed. Five members? Six dishes. Three kids? Four delicacies. So, there’s a mathematical twist, more so with household help becoming so pervasive.

Guinea pig(s)

Whether it’s the routine person cooking, or the teenager girl attempting fancy cuisines; whenever a new recipe is tried, the cook is on a hunt for guinea pig(s) to taste and hopefully admire the effort. And the excuse given is that the one who cooks loses the desire to taste. “Bana bana ke khane se mann hat jata hai”. Thanks to my usually co-operative nature, I have often been the chosen one!

Flash-cooking

Speaking officially, the term means cooking quickly at high temperatures. But I think it could also be used to denote the exceptional and reserved-for-the-occasion culinary skills that every lady of the house possesses. These come into utility when guests arrive unannounced and unexpectedly. Some quick dishes get prepared, which turn out super delicious, and mostly of lesser quantity. They can’t be consumed later – there are none left! The kids of the house wonder why these saliva augmenting skills are never utilised during routine days.

The cycle of thoughts, feelings and behaviours is often discussed in the realm of psychology. Putting it in the context of cooking, the thoughts we have about cooking during the task, will invariably affect our feelings and the consequent actions. So, as is often mentioned, a dish prepared out of love, will, in one or the other way, elicit positivity and affection. To break the drudgery of kitchen for my mother, so that the activity didn’t totally drain her, my father used to contribute, as per himself, in a minuscule manner, by preparing morning tea on Sundays. I have come across many couples now who adopt similar tiny, yet meaningful, gestures towards each other.

Recipe-exchange

With the advent of YouTube, though things have practically become easier, but we have definitely suffered from a decline in bonding-over-shared-recipe instances. At my home, as kids, we had always witnessed many friends and relatives take the recipe of her special “wheat and dates” cake recipe from my mother. Till date, they appreciate that cake. My mother even used to courier it to my PG accommodation during my graduation and friends devoured it like anything. Such exchanges infused a spirit of liveliness into our lives, but are unfortunately found lesser by the day.

There is a dialogue in the movie “Mitr-My friend” (2002) – “Cooking is a therapy”. Whether therapeutic or not, it shouldn’t be forced on anyone, irrespective of gender. At the same time, it’s a basic life skill that everyone ought to know, in order to survive – irrespective of gender again. An aunt once remarked that mother nature has bestowed upon us enough ready-to-consume foods and that there is no need for cooking. Ideally, a balance has to be sought. And a special note for the women – When you feel ill, be less concerned about the family’s tummies and hunger pangs, things often have a tendency to resolve even when left on their own.

And last but not the least, there are two standard statements within the perspective of cooking that deserve spotlights and that require no explanation. Number one, “Kuch bhi bana lo”, and two, “aaj kuch acha sa khana hai”.

reemaban@gmail.com

(The writer is a Jagadhri-based freelance contributor)