BENGALURU: As a child, the only time my family got together as one unit was during lunch. It was more a matter of convenience than a family ritual. My parents got home for lunch and we watched television shows during lunch. While I preferred comedy shows, my parents chose Sanjeev Kapoor’s Khana Khazana. Having lived most of my life in hostels or PGs, the thought of cooking never occurred to me. I have lived my life eating whatever I could get my hands on, at whatever time the food offered itself to me.
I have been lucky not to suffer from acidity or gastric problems, and I always assumed Eno was some sort of a drug that made people happy in six seconds! My bohemian lifestyle and career choices completely ruled out cooking. My cooking was limited to a holy trinity of omelette, instant noodles and masala oats. Of course, Gordon Ramsay could disagree with me calling it ‘cooking’ per se, but one does what one needs to get by.
The reason I never warmed up to cooking was because I lack the patience needed for it. Moreover, I lack a refined sense of taste and can’t tell if a dish is missing salt, spices or herbs. Most food items taste the same to me and my lack of taste buds didn’t allow me to appreciate the nuances of food. I was completely fine dining on whatever was put on the table. In my own way, I was preparing for the Armageddon. But the lockdown has changed us all in more ways than one. With online food-delivery apps ruled out, I have had to take the plunge into cooking. I share a flat with two others – one standup comedian and one actor. Neither of them will be appearing on MasterChef anytime soon, but they were keen to go beyond instant noodles and ready-to-eat food.
Which meant I had to contribute to the entire process. I had heard that cooking is therapeutic, but I doubt the statement holds true for people with anxiety. I am constantly petrified of adding too much or too little ingredients and facing the wrath of my flatmates. The only part of the process I enjoy is chopping the vegetables. It allows me to indulge my Neanderthal skills and we might have to get a new chopping board soon. The other part of the entire process that I love is doing the dishes. There’s no pressure of getting a century-old formula right. And even if I add too much soap, I can simply wash it all off ! Over the last few days, I have gotten better with my skills.
I graduated from chopping vegetables to being allowed to touch the dishes on the stove. I have learnt to enjoy the sound of onions sizzling in the oil. But it is when I was allowed to actually make a dish by myself that I realised what a scam it was all along! Nearly every dish that we make requires the exact same spices and masalas in the exact same order! All these years, I was being shamed for lack of a sense of taste, for finding every dish to be tasting the same.
Well, it was because every dish is cooked with the same spices! Instead of a feeling of satisfactory elation, I felt cheated. I still help in the kitchen, even if with a massive grudge. Have I warmed up to the process of cooking? Well, my favourite part of cooking is when I add the food into my mouth!