Is Cooking only for girls?
Cooking Gender Roles as the topic envisions that cooking should not be subject to gender bias. Everyone loves good food but not all may love cooking. Shreya was one of them. She was not at all interested in cooking. What excited her was her study and the quest to know new stuff in other fields besides cooking. Shreya always thought that she will learn basic cooking and may not be an expert whenever time and situation demanded. Cooking is a skill that should not be associated with any specific gender. But is it really so in our patriarchal Indian society?
Shreya & Her Cooking
To be born as a girl in a middle-class Indian household means you should be proficient in cooking and all household work. As a child, Shreya always fought with her mom when she told her specifically instead of her brother to bring even a glass of water for any visitor. She never helped her mother in any cooking chores unless in dire need as she thought that why should only girls be assigned to do this. Shreya had fewer problems in learning to cook than being the only one to cook. Her mother, being fed up with all this, segregated the duties of both of them. She has always been rebellious since her childhood, especially in those subjects that did not seem at all logical to her. The disparity in society’s thoughts towards this has made her so irritated.
This argument or food for discussion is just not limited to her family or me but this is for everyone who associates a girl’s value with her cooking skills. Her talent is measured by how well she cooks and performs other household activities. Gaining expertise in cooking is not at all bad. But then, everyone should be equally treated in this matter. There is no pinpointing when a boy doesn’t know this. In fact, no one is bothered whether a boy or a gentleman knows or not. It’s a privilege and an appreciation if a male knows good cooking. And it’s considered a necessity for a woman.
Food for Discussion
But a girl is bound to attract lots of criticism when she lacks this. Shreya was just fed up with the ladies’ interest in taunting her “What will you do after marriage? How will you stay with your in-laws? This is considered a grave mistake, especially after marriage. Shreya always wanted to be financially independent and has her own identity. So she turned a deaf ear to all the gossip from her relatives.
Delicious cuisines can bring all the accolades to the new bride. We also hearsay a few comments that your parents have given you only education and didn’t teach you any cooking. Such kind of remark is so painful to hear.
Nowadays, women are no less than men in any field. Then why is this disparity? Anyone can learn the fundamentals of cooking if one desires to. Food is of utmost importance for all living beings and so everyone should know, though it is not at all necessary to gain competence in this. Knowing the knack of it will only boost your confidence and will make you independent. So please stop distinguishing this with any particular gender. This should be the culture in each household to impart know-how to boys and girls invariably. One should not demean a girl if she doesn’t know it. She can easily learn it if she wants and needs it.
Cooking - Blue or Pink
The same happened with Shreya. When she moved to her own house and began to stay independently, she learned to cook on her own though it took some time. And for the last couple of years with the help of the internet & YouTube videos, one can learn to cook like a pro.
So not to worry girls just enjoy whatever you do. Shreya wants to impart a message, to those people who claim that cooking is the only parameter to judge a girl’s talent skills knowledge, and intelligence, to change their orthodox thinking process and bring a change in society. In the present scenario, both men and women walk hand in glove in all the workloads of the home as well as the office. The male counterpart should always motivate the oldies to come out of this wrong notion by helping their better halves in everything they do.
