I received this Whatsapp JPEG Forward from from a Lady Friend which says "Cooking for 2 hours just to eat for ten minutes is the biggest scam in the world "
My response was , now you know why men eat cornflakes for breakfast, McDonald Burgers for Lunch and Instant Noodles for dinner. Men being monkeys eat plenty of Bananas, Fruits, Snacks and drink coffee and tea round the clock and as the sun sets comes out the whiskey or beer and when intoxicated or watching sport on telly men don't have a clue what they are eating and why. So women should learn from Men..how to get around the "Cooking Dilemma - To Cook or Not To Cook ".
My friends response " No retirement from Kitchen for a Woman. You wake up in the morning worrying about "What am I cooking today ??"
Two hours to cook and ten minutes to eat and I have to do all the cleaning too..Before you realise the clock shows 5.30pm and that means I have to cook dinner again as everyone at home is hungry including me. Wonder why God gave us humans a Stomach.
The question I ask myself every day is " Why do women have to cook ? and why was I born a Woman?
"Every day spend a few hours planning what I am cooking depending on what is available in the Fridge and Pantry, Thanks to Covid 19. It is not like before when I could plan and exotic menu and send the man out shopping so I could watch my TV episode in peace, knowing when the man goes out he will do, lot more than buying what I want, he will meet some friends or have a chitchat about cricket with any one he can find n the street and drink tea in his favourite tea stall. When he returns I scream at him and say " What took you sooo long at the shops ? Not enough time so I have to change the menu" and the man says " Do what ever you want". Big mistake. " Did you say Do what ever I want ? Good I dont want to cook now. We will eat some left overs" End of Story.
You don't have to be a Sherlock Holmes to deduce that this Friend of mine is an Indian Lady sharing her frustrations as the scenario is different in homes of Asians and Caucacians.
9 out of 10 Asian Friends I have in Sydney I can Vouch men do most of the cooking. My business Partners Hong Kong wife did not know how to cut onions.The only cooking she did was reheat leftovers in the Microwave. As for the Aussies a standard dinner in the 70's was a Piece of Meat, Boiled or steamed vegetables mostly peas broccoli beans and potatoes. Throwing the steak or Lamb Chops or Chicken Legs or Shrimps on the Barbie. Cooking Chinese food or BBQing being a Man's Job was made as simple as Possible, not so Indian Cooking with use of zillion spices in various combinations to create different tastes and flavours.
Now how did these differences come about between cultures I wonder ?
In the Wild West and Asian men were hunters when they were cavemen . They Killed animals carried them home skinned and cut the animal up and cooked the meat on the fire outside the cave and women assisted. This explains why 99% of the Chefs in restaurants are Men.
India is a different story. Basically it is an agrarian society in which men dont like killing innocent animals started ploughing the fields well before sunrise to avoid the hot sun, ate some left over rice fermented in clay pots overnight with some green Chilli or some sort of pickle drank oodles of water, took shelter under a tree and a snooze when it got too Hot and Continued working on the field with help of a pair of Oxen if he could afford . So by the time the Indian man came home he was "famished" & just wanted to wash himself, eat and sleep
Not sure about the Europeans though. My Italian and Greek Friends I can vouch that the ladies do most of the cooking except for an occasional BBQ.May be you can throw some light on the European Culture
In 2020, take a look at my household in Sydney. We are four of us locked in now by Covid and guess what all four of us Love Food and the Boys love cooking and ladies see it as a chore they could do without.
Whatever the Boys cook is fine and met with a "YUMMMMMMM" from both ladies
I am a Dinkie Die Indian at heart when it comes to food, even though I have lived 13 years more in Australia than the 30 years in India. My Bengali wife was born and brought up in Malaysia and loves Chinese and Malaysian food as this is what she relished growing up in Malaysia. Indian food to her is basically what her Ma cooked at home and Ma just like my wife did not like cooking.
Then we have my Son and Dil. My son is definitely a Dinkie Die Australian by nature though he looks Indian. Father and son dont mind McDonalds & meat pies anytime of the day.
I love cooking and so does he. My culinary skills are limited to Indian Food and I have my own Signature dishes like Tomato, Ginger Prawn or Pepper Chicken etc which are very popular.
Anand how ever has surpassed me as a Cook and Id say he is a Natural Born Chef and Covid has brought to the surface his ability to cook awesome dishes using recipes. He has virtually taken over the Kitchen.
My Dil won't Compete with my Son but compliments his dishes with Awesome Salads. We call Jess the "Salad Queen". Jess's Prawn Salad with Watermelon and Orange juice is something I can eat all day every day even though I hate eating green leaves.
Jess and her Mum Shona can create magic cakes using the oven. I must confess I don't even know how to operate the fancy owen we have at home. Digitally too complex plus I don't have the desire or inclination either
The Secret to make Cooking enjoyable at home is create a menu where one dish is prepared by each person or allocate a cooking time table for all adult family members.
In life even pleasurable hobbies and pastimes can become a head ache when it becomes a chore.
Yes I love Cooking and putting a smile on faces; having said that if it is my duty to cook every day, I will definitely be serving Instant noodles three times a day. Basically I don't like being told what I have to do
Saathi Haath Badhaana Doston.
Have a Great Day
