What's Cooking?
This blog — is very special, as it carry forwards my current theme of START something new.
I started to COOK!
Explicitly mentioning — not 2-minute noodles or boiling water.
But cooking — cooking.
To those who don’t know me — I am foodie, yet no cook. I like to explore different cruisines, restaurants — fine dine to steet food. Yet till now I have not made any dedicated efforts on creating it.
I remember having a conversation with my mom, in the lockdown — that I wanted to cook. At first — she gave the typical reply saying — do what you are best — Just eat! — Don’t try to destroy my kitchen!
Trust me she — is progressive — yet her words made sense at that time — as I did not have an understanding of the kitchen. It took me around 15 minutes to find the sugar container, which actually was — just in the overhead shelf.
Post lockdown, work demanded for relocation. Then, I understood the effort that takes to run a home. Starting from setting up the furniture and kitchen, to getting groceries and esstentials — learnings were enormous.
Now I got to know — that actually things are expensive out there and to manage finances of house is not less than preparing a state budget.
It’s when you are on a budget, hungry and alone — you get to realise the role of what — Mother is! So last week — I was in such similar situation. So I decided to cook to satisfy my hunger.
Luckily I had my flatmate — an avid explorer and passionate cook. He decided to guide me on my debut — and we started to prepare:
Veg Pulao!
Veg Pulao is a rice pilaf — with spices, and other basic ingredients such as vegetables. The recipe is simple to understand, process is easy to execute.
While cooking — I enjoyed a lot! The self-satisfaction, sense of achievement of doing something new for self.
I even had tears running thorough my eyes! —
*actually while chopping onions!
Thought— that needs to be thought out!
That day I had two thoughts constanly running in my mind:
- Why is cooking mostly perceived as job or responsibilty of women. Maybe the construct of gender as a part to play in this! So gender got manifested into the division of labour due to historic incidents. But as we progress into a liberal and progressive society — when for economic opportunities — men are employeed as masterchefs, I think irrespective of gender — as a part of socialization — life skills like — cooking, finance and taxes, sport and hobbies etc. need to be inculated to us. This in turn will help the individual build a healthy lifestyle and respect the efforts taken by others for them.
- It’s now post reading this blog on mentorship by Francesca Winslow — I understood the importance of mentorship and how a mentor can be the catalyst you need to break the threshold to break into action. My flatmate guided me so effortlessly — and made the process so enjoyable. When one finds a proper mentor — one already knows that destination will be as beautiful as the journey!
It burnt!
The bottom layer of the dish — burnt. Lowest layer. Slightly.
But the dish turned out to be delicious!
When starting — one may fall, get hurt, fumble, drop or exhaust.
Yet to keep the efforts continuted till you master it — is the adventure.
The burnt — gives me another opportunity and reason to come back to the kitchen and make the dish to perfection!
Get in touch! Will next time send in some Veg Pulao to you as well! ( Not the burnt one! :) )
PS: Special credits to my mentor: Ashok Kori — for helping me successfully cook — an amazing dish in the first go!
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