The Empowered Cook.

A lot of people I know, understand cooking. They even enjoy the process of it. I, on the other hand, used to lack the interest in it. I looked at cooking as a task which I could never understand. Every time somebody bugged me regarding not being able to cook, my answer used to be that I will learn it when I need to. Every time I went from college to home, I used to prepare one dish - 1 dish that I would watch diligently on Youtube, and hence, diligently follow it. Once prepared, they tasted amazing and I would once more be confident of my statement. Once I was mocked by an ex of mine saying that If I need to exert authority over someone, I should know my kitchen, I should know how to cook. The statement did seem a little sexist and I brushed it off but somewhere down the line if taken on a positive and learning note, it did seem true. 

When I shifted to Goa, the starting was not too easy. Just like the previous times, I was again surrounded by people who could cook. Since I did not know how to cook, I washed utensils. This went on for a while until I realized that cooking was better than washing utensils! I used to try cooking when nobody else was around because I was also conscious of how my food will taste and how people will react towards it. Staying with others and having the food they eat also made me realize that when you are living with 6 other people, it is more about doing things and doing them together and appreciating the effort, rather than just the food. Gradually as time progressed, I took up cooking seriously. Goa lacked the convenience of Swiggy or Zomato, so I had no choice but to cook. I knew I couldn't expect somebody else to cook something for me. I started with omelet and bread, continued with chapatis and finally ended the journey making bread rolls and Aloo paranthas. All of this was not just my effort but I did it with my flatmate Annu. She too did not know cooking but had the experience of it before. We used to experiment with making different dishes together. We usually cooked dinner. Most of the times when mom called me up, I had still not had food until 10pm because we cooked so slow but telling her that I was cooking was a different sense of achievement altogether.

After moving to Pune, I shifted in with just one other person which meant I had a kitchen of my own, where I can cook in my time and as I want. Just in a couple of months, I have now started loving the process of cooking. I still don't cook that often but when I do, its with all my heart. I had never thought of myself to transform into the kind of person who likes to feed others what she cooks. I can now cook a couple more dishes than I used to. I still need to look at recipes online but when I cook them for a second or third time, I can cook without needing to refer to one. 

Cooking surely brings in a sense of achievement. Knowing the spices, their quantity is something everyone owns in their own way. My mom is a wonderful cook and so are her sisters. I like to think of it that cooking is in my genes. All these ladies did not have a choice back then, they had to take up cooking as a responsibility and make it a habit. I am glad my mother did not impose cooking on me, she let me take my own time in exploring it. Cooking was the last thing I ever wanted to do, but now it feels empowering to know I can survive with the cooking skills I have. It's a nicer feeling to know that If the world depended on me, I will not let anyone sleep hungry.