Cooking is viewed as a job strictly detailed for women. In most families, the job of cooking is reserved for mothers and daughters while sons and dads stay glued to TV’s, sports, chats or any other ‘manly’ businesses.
This genealogical belief has been passed down from generations to generations up to the twenty first century and has become a societal norm. The society breeds grown men that are dependants to the female sex for their own feeding and nutrition.
Every human craves for food from the feeling of hunger, nutrition and healthy living and desire the satisfaction of the need and want to be fed. As such, we should all possess the knowledge and major skills required to prepare meals. In our society, we should encourage and teach both male and female children to solve their primary need of feeding by cooking and preparing variety of dishes for their satisfaction and for their loved ones.
The responsibility to change this societal belief lies in the hands of parents mostly, especially women. Women are in the best position to change this erroneous notion by tutoring their children to cook and prepare meals. They should teach children that cooking is a service of love and duty to one’s family, one that is to be loved and enjoyed. They should teach their children that the role of cooking is not to be subjected to either sex but a free activity to provide meals for the family by any available member of the family (except when eating out or in case of a house help).
When I was young, my mum taught me to cook, maybe because my sisters were young then and we the guys are the older ones. Since then, she instilled in us all the discipline to prepare meals for the family, such that anyone available prepares the meal. Even though I notice a tilt of her attention towards my sisters which is a product of the societal belief system.
I can personally say I have noticed mothers who have only boys as kids tend to teach their children the act of cooking for obvious reasons of stress relief. Apart from these and a few others, the societal tag of women as cooks applies in most families.
Hey guys, it is time we take care of our nutrition and that of our family. It is a collective responsibility. I hope you know that among the best chefs in the world are men.