2 years, 10 months ago-
It is true that when man cooks, it is treated as a special feat. It becomes art, and most importantly, it becomes a career. The special treatment is meted out because it is something not expected out of him. On the other hand a woman is obligated to cook. No matter how much prowess she exhibits, it is hardly appreciated with exception to the occasional nostalgia when grown sons or daughters reminisce their mother’s cooking (it is too much sentiment showered too late). For ages women have been locked up in the domestic hearth while men ventured out to earn. So now when men turn their attention to cooking, it is treated as an expression of their creative faculty. It is common in Indian households for family members or guests to be extra appreciative when a boy cooks and highly critical when a girl does it. Also, ‘cooking’ for a man limits itself to making food. The part after that, the cleaning and the clearing up are most often conveniently forgotten.
Given that most men who cook are professionally trained chefs they devote much greater time and energy to perfecting their skills when compared to women for whom cooking is just one more of the million other duties they’re expected to discharge. Even in the field of the culinary arts, men get much more attention than women do. This sexism prevents women from getting ahead in their careers and most of them tend to discontinue. Speaking with Austin pastry chef Lisa Fox, a successful New York chef stated that most of the female chefs who worked in his kitchens did not stay long “because they hadn’t had the stamina for the job.” Such sexist attitudes, that measure men and women by the same yardstick when the latter has so many hindrances to overcome and domestic duties to discharge, have turned the culinary world into a boy’s club which women find very difficult to enter.
“When men cook food, it’s art…but when women cook, it’s their duty.”
These lines are iconic and thought-provoking. When I heard that quote from English Vinglish, It made me think of the double standards people have for men and women, cooking being one of them.
Women, despite having careers of their own still have to take care of their household after marriage. After a tiring day at work, they still have to get home and do the household work, with no one helping them. The respect people have for women does not change whether they’re housewives or working women. The misogyny people have in their minds does not change. They believe that work at home is for a woman.
It starts in childhood. Girls are given cooking toys to play with when they’re young. They are usually taught how to cook by their female relatives so that they know how to cook when they’re married. But why is this? Why are only women taught how to cook?
When men cook, they’re praised. People are happy to find that these men have the talent to cook! How amazing! It is rare to see someone who cooks in the household who isn’t a woman.
It is due to society’s standards. They think cooking should be known by a woman and that she should cook well when she’s married and that isn’t something worth praising. Why don’t we have the same standards for men?
And it’s not just cooking. Men are praised for cleaning their house, taking care of their children, and being stay-at-home dads when this is something that women do every day but aren’t praised for it. When men perform roles that are traditionally performed by women, society applauds them for it while ignoring the contribution women make. We must keep equal attitudes for both genders.
When someone is good at something, we should appreciate them. However, we can see that not everyone appreciates women. If we actually appreciated women for the contributions they make, it would empower them and the world would be a better place for everyone.Our brain is fed with the data that cooking is meant for only women from ages. Women are meant to be in kitchen andmake food for everyone is only motto she should as individual.
We are a bunch of biased people because we have never appreciatedour women who cook deliciously, but we never fail to praise the man cooking in a Master chef show. Women have been consistently cooking the food without actually getting the due which they deserve.
Man cooks food and everyone starts praising them, they refer to that cooking skill as their talent and an art that a man can cook food.
Food is a basic necessity and everyone is in need to consume food and there should not begender barriers to cook food .Food has no genders, and it can be prepared by anyone whoever wishes to make. For cooking, you just a recipe, ingredients, stove or cooking gas , utensils and concentrated mind with of course a hand is needed which is not a gender-specific either you are girl or boy, Well! You can still cook.
It should not be a duty for women to cook religiously on daily basis. She is not against the cooking but definitely against the so-called entitled duty to cook food. Traditional and moderns society makes difference right here.In a modern society nobody is labelled to cook but anyone who is available can make food for the rest of the family.
Women are more eligible and skilled than being a cook in house . She can do miracles with the same cooking hand as labelled a series of work which is commendable.
Everyone says a path to the man’s heart is from stomach so why don’t a man makes food to reach his heart. Why does he need women to do that. He should be independent in making food also like he is in decision — making in his life.
Women are meant to do more than cooking in her life. We need to get that straight in our head.
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