The first one is mythological. It’s about Mahabharata, the greatest of the wars that the mankind has ever witnessed. As many of you may know the war was amongst the Kauravas’ and the Pandavas’. The Pandavas’ were the 5 sons of king Pandu and his 2 wives: Kunti and Madri. Being the sons of king Pandu they were together called the Pandavas’. All the 5 were renowned warriors and each possessed special qualities. The mighty one was Bheema, strongest of all. He was an ardent food lover. If stories are to be believed, his eating habits were quite a talk of the town! Apart from being a hard-core foodie, he was quite a cook himself. Writer Devdutta Pattanaik mentions this in the book 'Jaya' an illustration of Mahabharata. According to Mr.Pattanaik, the creator of the famous South-Indian dish 'Aviyaal' is Bheema!
From mythology to history. The famous meat dish of India 'the Galouti Kebabs' was created for a meat-loving Nawab of Lucknow by a then famous chef. It is said that these were special kebabs that would just melt in the mouth. The kebabs were like that so that old toothless Nawab could enjoy and his meat craving would be satisfied!Now to the present. We have renowned chefs in the country who have become the favorites in many households. This list, of course, starts with Mr. Sanjeev Kapoor. He started his career on television through the famous show called ’Khana-khazana’. The show gained tons of popularity due to its new concept and of course its host. Chef Sanjeev Kapoor has laid a foundation of this glamorous food industry in India. Many have followed since then; Chef Kunal Kapur, Chef Ajay Chopra, Chef Ranveer Brar, Chef Saransh Goila, Chef Manu Chandra to name a few. Even on the global frontier, we have so many renowned male chefs. Some of them are legends like Chef Gordon Ramsey, Chef Gary Mehigan, Chef Matt Preston, Chef George Calombaris and our very own Chef Vikas Khanna. These examples prove that kitchen and cooking isn’t just a feminine responsibility. So when did this concept of “men don’t cook” originate? This concept not only originated but also has been hammered into the minds of so many generations. That is the reason that a man helping his mom, wife in the kitchen was regarded as a madman. There are so many who flaunt their record of ’never ever having picked up a glass of water’.When the society thought that earning for the household is a male job and taking care of the kitchen and other family needs is a feminine job, a man not able to cook wasn’t such a disaster. However, today when women have become self-sufficient in all possible ways, why aren’t the men taking up learning cooking?Unless it’s absolutely necessary, a man does not learn to cook. This may seem like some kind of male bashing, but rest assured it is not. In an era of equality of the sexes, shouldn’t the men consider cooking? A man who can cook is always loved and adored by women. It is not just because he can cook. It is because of what cooking represents. Cooking isn’t just cutting, chopping, tossing, frying; it’s a sentiment. How often have we heard “maa ke haath ka khana” phrase? This food that the mom prepares reflects her love, care, and concern for the family. All those sentiments act on the food that she prepares and makes it one of a kind. Now, men are generally known to be reserved on emotional grounds. When they cook, it shows affection, care and their love for the family. The delicateness that all the cooking related things require also adds up to the fondness. Above all food is a factor that binds a family. There’s nothing more satisfying than being able to appease the hunger of the entire family.
In this generation where even after having a career, a woman is still expected to be able to cook, why should the men be excused from this? Try spending a little quality time in the kitchen and it’ll help you win over the hearts of many women and also become self-sufficient! A man who can cook is a fantasy of almost any and every woman. If you are a man who knows to cook, you’ll be on the top of the list, because there’s nothing as endearing as a man who can cook!
