KITCHEN vs ME: An Untold Story

Hello, my readers, I am quite sure by now in this lockdown you've made your final round into the world of cooking. You might be praising yourself while reading this. You should be though. Haha, why not?

I guess by now you might be wondering that you've never seen anything like this, I mean the title yaar! Because have you heard about a "woman" who doesn't like cooking at all? Or Is it necessary for women to know cooking? Most of you will say NO.

I mean everyone does like and almost every other person loves experimenting too.

Fact Check: In India 7 out of 10 houses, the main priority is to make their daughters well-skilled in cooking. "Chulhachakua na hi Sahi Shaadi toh Karani hain na" marriage is the main concern in most of the cases, also we often get to hear "Main toh apni beti ko ache se khana banana, chulha chauka sambhalna sikhaya, taki sasural main tana na sunna pade"etc. The thing which I wanted to point out is in this 21st Century

"A women's place is in the kitchen?" like really?

Now it's my turn to tell you my part of this story. I am someone who doesn't love to cook. I don't like being in the kitchen, I don't enjoy cooking food like I enjoy doing any other household chores. Does it mean I am not "Sanskari enough?" Hey, don't think that I don't know anything. Yes, I know how to cook the basic dishes but if you give me to choose between cooking and doing every other work outside the home on a hot sunny day. I would choose the second option over a million times.

Does that prove that I cannot be a "good woman" according to society? What is the definition of a good woman? Who this society is? Who will judge me or tag me based on, "Whether I know how to cook or not?" or "Whether I can differentiate between the Dhania (coriander)powder, jeera powder (cumin), or saunf (fallen)? I am asking these questions because I went through some encounters with our free CCTV services (Hope you got it if not then will get in the next line).

Once some aunt shot a question "Aur beta kya bana leti ho?" and "Itna toh ata hi hoga banana?" Which made me enraged, and I replied with "Cup-noddles". Instead, she could have asked me "Beta padhai kaisi chal rahi hain? " Which would have been far better.

The basic thing is that some people enjoy and some (like me) enjoy eating food made by their best friends (Simran, Dipshikha or Harish), etc. Everyone doesn't understand this but yes, some do.

Thankfully in my house, I don't get (too much) forced to learn new recipes daily. I don't take the effort to learn either except a few recipes, whenever I want to cook I take my mother's instruction and experiment it.

Everything matter is your own choice, some enjoy cooking while others (including me) don't and that's okay. It doesn't mean that I am a woman, so I am supposed to know how to cook! What important is that we should focus on how to boost our self-esteem but not on forcing someone with such questions and expect an answer according to your taste.

(By the way, my mom is an amazing cook)