The Pandemic kitchen taught me great lessons!

This pandemic has been a lesson to many in a variety of ways. Basically the pandemic has made us realize the importance of people which we always underestimated. We got enough time and space for our own self, to look into our own capabilities, etc. I have always been skeptical about cooking but got very less chances to cook for my whole family. But during the pandemic, when we got a chance to meet all our family members at one place, I got a lot many chances to cook for them, which has always been appreciated by my father. My mother is loved in the family because she cooks really good food and she has told me always that a good food is the way that leads to someone’s heart. My family has never been so much into the restaurant culture, so I tried to make foods for them which are not very commonly made at home like Smokey chicken, pizza, garlic bread, the most trending Dalgona coffee, etc. The best part of cooking in this pandemic was the experience and the experiments I did with all the ingredients and the spices. I always loved to experiment with different spices and the dish would end up being amazing. I was taught by my mom to add a special spice, which would match the taste of the dish as well as give a twist to it.

Figure 1: Veg and Non-veg cooked at home.

Figure 2: Chole Kulche (Delhi style) made at home during lock down.

Figure 3: Garlic bread sticks at home.

Cooking for all the members was a really great experience, but once a while. I asked my mom, “how do you get irritated with cooking?” and she replied, “you enjoy cooking, even I enjoy cooking and I also love to see that smile in everyone’s face when they eat something great, but when it becomes an imposed duty and you are just forced and bound to cook everyday, you will also be irritated.” and this reply of her wasn’t something which I could accept.

Figure 4: Paratha, Paneer tikka masala and chicken tikka masala made during lockdown.

Figure 5: Kajun Potatoes (Barbeque Nation style) made at home during lockdown.

Figure 6: Authentic Odia style Poi Patra bhaja.

Everyone loved the dishes I made, so I cooked almost everyday and each day I would come up with new recipes and try them. But, after a certain time, I also felt the same. I no longer wanted to cook everyday, in fact, I wanted to cook only when I really wanted to. Then I realized the pain that almost every woman goes through in their families. Then I asked a few other women, who really wanted to cook and who were forced to cook, and almost everyone said that they enjoy cooking but not everyday. Almost everyone loves to cook and bring that smile on the faces of their family members, but not four times each day which they found it to be imposing.