Cooking - A Life Skill Surpassing Gender: Eats and Treats by Tania Rebello

TDT | Manama                                                      

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

A friend once expressed that she had never learnt cooking but wished she had. She struggled as an adult, trying to learn essential recipes.

Her mother was a chef but never had the time to teach her this elementary life skill, and she never attempted to learn either.

In another instance, a cousin of mine moved miles away from home to live independently. His mother would prepare all his meals.

After months of eating at restaurants or ordering food at home, he started to feel the pinch on his wallet.

He began to ask his mother for simple recipes, and YouTube assisted him in fine-tuning his chef skills.

Today, he is confident in the kitchen and cooks for his family. Cooking is a fundamental life skill that transcends gender roles.

It is about nourishing oneself and others, expressing creat ivity, and building connections through shared meals.

Regardless of gender, everyone can benefit from learning how to cook delicious and nutritious meals.

It is a liberating skill that brings joy and satisfaction to the cook and those who eat the food.

It encourages self-sufficiency, making you less reliant on others to prepare meals.

Engaging in cooking can serve as a form of relaxation and stress relief for many people. 

Indulge in exquisite lunch and dinner experiences featuring his signature dishes and culinary expertise.

learning how to cook delicious and nutritious meals.

It enhances focus and concentration, while motions involved in preparing food, such as chopping and stirring, can help calm the mind and reduce stress levels.

The benefits are great! It results in healthier habits as you control what goes into your food.

You can opt for wellbalanced meals and control the quantity of salt, oil and spices.

Gaining a better understanding of nutrition, leads to healthier food choices.

Obtain higher cultural awareness through passed-down recipes.

Teach culinary techniques to boys and girls at a younger age. Make it fun and engaging. Develop food games and competitions to create interest.

Teach them the use of various cooking tools. Help them to understand flavours and the use of ingredients in multiple recipes.

Begin with easy, fussfree recipes. Egg recipes, pasta, stir-fries, sandwiches, smoothies, and salads are a few such dishes that can be taught easily.

This will make the process easier.

Let this be a bonding experience with kids.

Several people have felt the urge to learn cooking to save time and money and, more importantly, their lives through healthier choices.

I recollect the COVID-19 days when people were forced to learn cooking due to limited restaurant access.

Decades ago, when television did not exist, recipes were passed down, and recipe books were made available.

Today, a wealth of information is available online with detailed step-by-step procedures.

It is always possible to learn to cook.

Do you know how to cook? What was the first recipe you learnt to prepare?