All the men in my life have been useless at cooking. There is basically no interest and it has been left to the women to handle. Yes my son in the UK cooks now through sheer need, but he does not enjoy it. The Pakistani cook he employed made such rich food the whole family could not eat it in a week. So having men who cook in the building is a new experience for me - - and a very happy one too.
Our ground floor tenant is the CEO of a big bank. And yet he finds a lot of time to cook once he gets home and on holidays. Infact the best gift which I gave him was not the cakes and sweets of a festival, the pickles and chudas from different outlets. Instead he is thrilled with a new packet of masala from Goa and I am rewarded with a packet of masala from Hyderabad.
A year ago I gave him a pot with a lovely big curry leaf plant. Every time I tried to grow it in the garden, some oaf broke it. BIL is the cheap fiddly hands here, who has never lived in a home like this. So, I just took the plant, potted it and the ‘cook’ is thrilled to be able to use fresh kadipatta whenever he cooks.
Every once in a while the door bell rings and there he is with a bag, looking embarrassed, thrusting it into my hands saying -- “ ghee roast prawns and puliagore I made!” With glee the bag is taken into the kitchen and three of us swoop down and polish it off. The ghee roast prawns are divine!
Ginger is definitely his favourite so I get the most yum ginger pickles and ginger chicken dishes, given to us at least twice a month. As his wife says -- I feel wasted! But that's not true. She keeps a spotless house. And she loves my brinjal pickle which is Mums recipe.
A previous Danish tenant gave me half a loaf of his rugbrod ( ragi bread) twice a month. Thankfully he loved our Indian curries and so I fixed up a lady who made Mangalorean curries and roasts and he enjoyed his two years here. Johnny loved living here and sunned himself over the weekend on the terrace, but never tanned much to his annoyance!
His kitchen was like out of a picture book and my help at the time-- Pushpa -- who has retired after 35 years, after breaking her leg -- absolutely adored him. Obviously ‘cause she got 7 k for doing nothing really. He was smart enough to sell all his white goods and cute Pepper Fry furniture, through Siemens for 50% after using it for 2 years. He would have sold his stuff to me if our apartment was ready in Goa, but it was not.
If the best chefs in the world are men, then ALL men can cook. It’s just our Indian men are basically lazy and dont make the effort, unless faced with it. While doing my second Masters in Amsterdam /Copenhagen and Wales, we enjoyed the Thai cooking of our male Thai classmates. Every week we had potluck in one of our apartments and the best dishes were made by Bamrung and Al. Finger licking stuff.
So, is it just the Indian male who is lazy and taught to believe he has to be waited upon?? Well my youngest is learning and fast cause I dont believe in rearing male chauvinists in my home.
