Glorification of 'maa ke Hath Ka Khana,

A way to force cooking on women

- Sanjana

You must have heard of people who live alone away from family missing 'Maa Ke Hath Ka Khana'. But have you ever thought why is it never 'Papa Ke Hath ka Khana'? Most of my friends in college often rant about their urge to have some homemade food. But what they really mean by that is their mother's cooking. And I don't find it odd because that's what we have all seen around us.

Who is in the kitchen - Didi, Aunt, Mummy, Daughter, or Daughterin-law? You know what's common between these figures we mostly find there, is that they are women. Primarily a survival skill, cooking has become much more than just the food-making process over the centuries. It is intertwined with gender bias, culture, stereotypes, societal food standards, and work division.

Characteristic Of Being A "Good" Woman

We have grown up seeing the females of the house cooking while the males are entitled as the breadwinner. This legacy has been passed on from generation to generation for centuries. That's why expecting women in the kitchen thrice a day is quite common for us. "No, I don't know how to cook" - This is what sounds shocking to us when it comes from a female, especially with the responsibility of kids and a family.

I heard one of the aunts say about our new neighbour - "She doesn't even know how to cook, what kind of woman is she." I was startled to see them judge the character of a woman based on her cooking skills. Why does it even matter?