To Cook is an Art

Food is an integral part of our life i.e. our basic need. Before 50 years food had got significance and need locally. Means Maharashtrian family used to cook Maharashtrian food, South Indian family used to cook South Indian food, North Indian family used to cook north Indian food, US family used to cook American food and in Korean family used to cook Korean food. But as we saw that globalization happened due to various jobs or businesses this food culture has been revolutionized tremendously. Slowly people started preparing inter region cuisines then cross country cuisines, even we have a huge contribution of social media tools like you tube, instagram, facebook's contribution a lot in this. And at present we get to know any kind of cuisines we ask for through these different medias.

But at present food is not limited to eating only ; it has developed a completely new branch in education and business which is flourished like anything in these days. Culinary skill which was considered as supposed to be in the families; now has got many professional degrees in Universities and good job openings and businesses too. Even entry of men in this field also drew lot of population in this field. And so the competition is also increased. Culinary skill which was supposed to be taught in restaurants or in bakeries locally to other men or women has got entry to various professional degrees in universities. Previously only ladies used to cook food. But at present i see many best men chefs who cook the best of food and even i acknowledged it that some relate their recipes to their mother or grand mother's recipes. 

When we talk about cooking. I believe anybody can cook. Joke apart if you are really foodie or have love for cooking then you will enjoy this film as Ratatouille ( This film set mostly in Paris). But anybody can't become best cook. In previous time only women used to cook , hardly some men used to cook. A women should cook it was unsaid rule. But as women started working outside due to job or business in short for their career a new unsaid rule came that men is expected to cook to divide the family responsibilities or to run the family smoothly. Whatever it is. It is completely different aspect. But i am to the point that a women must know cooking.

If a man know cooking it is good too. But a women must know cooking. It is not i believe this because i have some orthodox thoughts or something. But i have different view point to this. Physically and biologically God created men and women altogether differently. Both have strengths and weaknesses in their own. Women is very strong in herself if she decide she can do anything. And here we take only positive side of her , so provided it is a good motive. A women is a pillar of a house. If she is only a daughter in a house then also she can better give wisdom thoughts to everybody in a house. She unknowingly start taking care of the family. Her presence itself can bring lot of positivity in the house. Her lookout to pay attention to small small things in the family surprises everybody in the family. In short she has very positive vibrations in herself. Many girls or women have strong intuition about things in life also. Like every individual ;  It depends on her ; whether to get married or not. But if she get married then she has that much power to change the life of the person in a very positive way. 

Here i am talking from women point of view only. Not talking about men otherwise it would be altogether different topic to discuss. She can either make a family or break a family. She can make the other person's life either heaven or hell. In short i mean to say her positive vibrations, the good manners she has been brought up with, quality like having contentment in life, kindness and love for family can make a loving family and if such lady cooks the food for the family with love it nurtures the health of the family. It can help to keep the family's health in a good condition. I know some of the women who doesn't know cooking. They might laugh on these all things that how she is relating all these things to a good family health. But a wise and sensible women can easily understand what i mean to say by this. But in this era any lady who proudly says she doesn't know cooking  ( i came across some ladies who are very proud to say they don't know cooking)  i feel pity on her. As food is so important part of life and it makes our health, so complete dependency in this matter it totally inconvenient. And we already know if a lady do so much for the family but it is again a question how much she is paying attention at her eating habits. So i believe that a women should cook and that too to be a best cook in the family and should be knowing what kind of food she is eating and feeding to the family. Today's women is quite blessed that she has got so many opportunities and such a freedom to develop her career but being a woman we should not forget that cooking could be our basic skill as it provides the basis for life.

As anybody can cook but the real task is to become the best cook. Cooking is an art. It is the art which is watered with the expensive ingredient called love. Why i say expensive because anybody can cook but to cook with kindness and love all the time is real skill. And i learned this skill from my mother. I see she can cook with equal enthusiasm, patience, love and care for her family. With cooking we understand what kind of food we are feeding to the family. What is getting extra and what is lacking. A gourmet can easily figure it out. When i was in 7th standard i started cooking experiments. Actually because of my studies for 10th, 12th and then Engineering my mother never used to ask me to cook. Though i was liking it a lot. She used to say after you finish your studies then you do. But as i was liking to cook i used to cook in between, used to do different experiments in cooking; the first recipe i tried khichadi (Indian traditional dish made of dal and rice and some spices) and then later when that led to biryani i also don't know. After i finished my studies then i joined IT company that time also i used to ask my mother to teach me cooking( though till the time i was able to cook properly but i was expecting to cook most of the Indian traditional recipes) otherwise how i will learn it. But she used to say you can do it, it is not that difficult. And as the time passed today i can cook almost everything in Maharashtrian, non Maharashtrian recipes and best of some Maharashtrian recipes too. 

My mother herself is best in cooking. And the Diwali (Indian traditional festival in Hindu culture) homemade sweets which she prepares that i like only from her hand and not prepared by others. Even i could achieve some expertise in some of the Diwali sweet items from her. To this point honestly speaking my mother never taught me cooking formally but she made me to observe her unknowingly when she was cooking and like that i learned cooking. So one day she said i was knowing it is easy for you to learn cooking you just needed to observe me how i cook. And now i myself can cook best as others say. I am not a foodie. But i like to cook different recipes. I have good collection of recipe books also out of which the one of my favorite is Mrs. Jayashree Deshpande, wife of Pu La Deshpande's(a well known author from Marathi literature in India) book. Even if i see some new recipe on social media i try to customize it as per my liking and prepare it. But what is basic thing i have in this is liking for cooking. Which is very important. 

Cooking is not easy as it is like preparing food for a "यज्ञ कर्म" (yajna karma). Like when we perform यज्ञ (yajna - from Indian tradition, in Hinduism, yajna is a ritual of offering to the Gods that involves a sacred fire and also known as Havan. Yajnas are purposeful and can be performed to sustain the natural order of the Universe. Yajnas are performed in front of a sacred fire, often with mantras. The ritual requires the performer and objects used to be pure and the ritual to be performed correctly.) that time we put so many items in it to satisfy the five tattvas in the Universe. When the food you prepare is best and eaten by somebody you are satisfying their test buds, fulfilling the hunger of their stomach and satisfying their soul. Which gives you blessing that's why you become one part in the chain of delivering food to the hungry. If you know the food chain then it is this way; first the God who makes the grains or seeds available then it the farmer who sow the grains or seeds and grow crops, then the supplier who buys it  from farmer, then the shopkeeper then the household owner who buys it then the one who cooks the food and makes it available to you for eating. So after eating that food we should express your gratitude to all the people in the food chain who makes the food available and ready to eat; this including the God and after eating the food we should say "अन्नदाता सुखी भव:" (Annadata sukhi bhava) to express the gratitude towards them. 

So for becoming best cook you should be first liking to cook, then liking for different vegetables and fruits. If we see every vegetable is unique in itself with the shape, color(even in green we have lots of shades in green vegetables), texture, touch and smell. A gourmet cook can just smell the raw vegetables, green leafy vegetables and say whether to buy it or not. Just by seeing the Indian spices smelling its aroma ; it can get to know whether they are quite fresh or very old to use or not. Indian recipes are knowing for the handful use of spices. So with cooking one should be expertise in this also. Even if the person try some different dishes outside ; may be in restaurants, it should understand easily which spice is more and which is less. And it is very delightful task. Those people who underestimate cooking or those ladies who proudly say they don't know cooking i say they are unfortunate to miss such a bliss from nature. Because when i hear some lady proudly saying she can't cook i smile in my mind that she is missing this joy in life. But after all it is everybody's choice whether one should cook or not. The different kind of vegetables we see; just take example of Indian pumpkin. If you are a cooking lover or just a foodie also see the texture and the design which is there on the outside shell of the pumpkin. It is so unique in itself. 

Every pumpkin fruit has different design, different shades, some dark green, some orange itself so many shades some light and some dark shades, some light green with the unique designs on the pumpkin. You just keep on observing it. And when i see the color and design i could say only this statement " Wow what a creativity. God is great,". Such a creativity He has. If you know about Zen system in spirituality, Zen creates different patterns with pebbles in such a way that every pattern is unique and should not be repeated again. So once you keep on looking at the pattern the person gradually attains the state of thoughtlessness for some time. Thoughtlessness means the state of having no thoughts at all. And this can be achieved for some microseconds/seconds/minutes. When the person starts looking at the Zen pattern the motive is this only to make that person thoughtlessness for some time. Then that person get one thought and then the other thought so the time span in between these 2 thoughts that is expected to get increased by microseconds, then seconds and then minutes in this. It helps the person to control the thoughts. It is not about this one statement only. This process may take lot of time , may be days, months depending on that individual. Likewise when you keep on seeing the different designs on the pumpkin itself for the fraction of seconds we forget the other things and just keep on observing it as it is so unique and beautiful. And it gives us happiness by praising that creative work of God. 

                               

After this also for preparing food you should have well being thoughts for others who eat that food. Care, love and kindness for others. For the best food if the other person is generous you may get praise for the best preparation but it is the secondary feeling. The feeling from your side should be to prepare the best food because it is again the creative work which requires skill.
So i say cooking is an art it is not like just to cook food. But to cook the hygienic and best and tasty food and then the part comes to decorate and present the food in best way.