The Great Indian Kitchen

Do you like Indian food? 

Have you ever tasted it?

If not then you must taste it once in your life. 

It's a flavor-rich cuisine. If you taste it once you will want more of it.

I am an Indian and I love Indian food.

I do like Chinese, Thai, and Italian food. But only Indian food gives satisfaction to my taste buds. Maybe because I grew up in an Indian household eating Indian food.

India is a culture-rich country with variety in its food. It is said in India that, 'In every 12 villages pass, there is a change in language and food'. You can imagine how much food variety you will get in India.

This is all the upside of being an Indian. But there is a downside to being an Indian girl. 

Based on Indian tradition, it is only ladies of the house who cook and are taught cooking skills. Let me be honest, cooking Indian food is quite a hassle. It takes time and energy. 

At meal time there is never a single food dish that is served. It is always in pairs. Like Sabjji & roti, Dal & Chawal. And most of the time Sabjji, roti, dal, & chawal together. There might be a sweet dish too on some occasion. Let me tell you it takes a hell lot of time and effort to cook these delicacies.

For someone like me who is not very fond of cooking, and is very ambitious about her career goal, cooking a perfect meal is a very limiting factor to my ambitions.

People in India are very much used to seeing only women in the house doing cooking and taking care of household chores. This is an old tradition that they are used to seeing and following. 

It becomes very difficult for them to handle the concept of an ambitious woman who is not good at cooking tasty food but excellent at business sense or best in her career. 

However, things are changing. People in India are now changing their attitude towards looking ambitious ladies but this is not at a vast level. In many small cities and villages still, the same old mentality is at function. 

In bigger cities too, many women have to cope with this old mentality. They juggle between cooking, household chores, and her career just to keep her passion alive. Because if she can't she has to sacrifice her dreams of a career for cooking good food for her family.

Most of the time despite being good/best at her career, a woman has to drop her dream of pursuing her career because her spouse is not well-versed in cooking skills and household chores.

She will never considered up to the mark as per society if she can't cook good food (let her be excellent in her career, but food and ladies only go together for Indians).

Yes, I love my India and Indian culture. But I have my concerns about this attitude and not-so-changing Indian mentality for cooking. 

It is difficult to let go of your dreams for others' satisfaction of being a perfect lady who cooks well and takes care of the house till the infinity.

Indian ladies who cook food for their family's love and passion for cooking is a win-win for both parties. But the same kitchen can become a cage if it operates on sacrifices of dreams of passionate career-oriented women.

Next time you happen to visit an Indian household, then don't forget to ask a lady question whether this kitchen is operating out of her passion for cooking or of her buried career passion.