The joys of cooking these days

(Originally posted on TimesOfIndia Reader’s Blog — October 4th, 2020)

There is a special joy of cooking these days. When you know one can’t be safe eating out in restaurants, roadsides or visiting homes for parties- the only place dependable is your own home kitchen.

In these days of Covid-19, there is a buzz about home cooking in social media. A lot of people have put on the aprons and are dishing out different cuisines. And the reliable guru any time any place is Google.

In our family Whatsapp group, my brothers and their children are regularly posting the food photos shot in their kitchens. It now looks more of a food blog. But amazingly these younger generation who never ever cooked even for themselves are now feasting the family.

And what exotic dishes- Middle Eastern omelette, Turkish salad, Moroccan dessert…..introducing us to the rest of the culinary world. Their trusted recipe book is YouTube videos. How lucky is this generation! We, in contrast, grew up with recipe books tucked away in old shelves or recipe pages torn out from magazines and safely tucked in these books. Definitely watching videos is far more convenient than going through a recipe book.

In some homes now, the wives are the happiest lot when they see their husbands in the kitchen. Before they never dared to enter the kitchen. But now armed with a good recipe, these husbands are excited dishing out something new. And the family is encouraging too. So the cooking skills are on a test.

As more and more people are eating home-cooked food, the kitchen at home has turned into a nerve centre. Especially with Work from Home and online schools, there is a constant desire to eat anytime. So with the domestic help not still back in most homes, the lady of the house has her hands full. But she is happy that her family is eating healthy at home.

Now, most of the street food has been replaced with home food which is definitely healthier, nutritious and hygienic. Covid-19 has changed our mindset about food and eating habits. As a result, fewer people are going to doctors by taking charge of their health — courtesy — home cooking.