Contradictory to what they say about girls from the old land of Jessore (now in Bangladesh) to be good cooks, I never thought cooking to be a big deal while growing up. Yes, I had issues with the daily food that was served and sometimes got tired of the plates and bowls for apparently no reason other than maybe my teenage and wanted to cook something different, but mostly the kitchen stayed outside my world.
Cooking at my dorm was just out of the very old fact that I had to eat to survive. That was the main reason. I looked up recipes online but didn't have ninety percent of the ingredients and what was mainly lacking was time. On most days I had to cook when I was already hungry and I just plain hated it. No wonder why students survive on instant noodles and coffee.
I actually started to like cooking after getting married. That was the time when I realized that I can have my own setup in the kitchen and on the dinner table. Don't underestimate this feeling ladies, this is a big thing. I can cook whatever I want to and can serve it as nicely as possible, maybe put flowers or candles to decorate the table as well. No one will ask me why I am wasting my time over these even if the reason for doing all these on a random day may be that "I just wanted to, that's why!" So began my cooking expeditions.
There have been a lot of good things in marrying Arnab. One of them is that he loves to eat all sorts of food. It's not that he would only like Bengali food and nothing other than that. So I have full freedom in the kitchen. But then who taught me to cook? Here is the fun part... Julia Child and Leela Majumder....two ladies from two different parts of the world and completely different backgrounds and most importantly I have never met either of them. But through their cookbooks they have inspired me and have made me try my hand at French delicacies and traditional Bengali fares with the same enthusiasm. I can't pronounce the names of most of Julia Child's recipes (that's another reason why I'm learning French) and even though Leela Majumder's recipes are about Bengali food, but some of them are from East Bengal and as a result I have no idea of how they should taste or look like. So both of them are challenging in their own way.
The world of cooking is a great one. To cook a good meal gives you a confidence and puts you close to being an artist. It has the same joy of creation. For me, while cooking koi-machher Ganga Jamuna, I can flip the fishes correctly into a different sauce I feel that. Same when hollandaise sauce does not curdle or a chocolate cake has the correct amount of sweetness. It is a great feeling, kind of like when you hit a ball with the center of a cricket bat!
I am glad that I found the right mentors to follow in this endeavor. Leela Majumder herself was exposed to the western style of cooking and western dishes so she could very well explain and compare those in her book and Julia Child of course had the "serventless" housewives in mind. So both work very well for me :) Also I like their styles of cooking. I have read many recipes for Bengali food in books, newspapers and the like but I never liked those. Most of them tell you to put a bunch of spices which in my opinion should clash in their flavorings. Also, some people unnecessarily try to be creative. I don't see any reason why ilish should be cooked with yogurt or onion-garlic and mustard paste should be added together in some dish! I think people have done those to western food as well, but as I don't have much experience with traditional European food, I can't comment on those.
Anyway, so here I am trying out my somewhat new hobby of cooking... and learning to find my way in this big and so far not much explored world of cuisines. It could be the genes I got passed down from my grand mom (on my mom's side who was a great cook) or could be that girls from Jessore anyway love to cook. Time and place changes but the characteristics probably live on...
Cooking at my dorm was just out of the very old fact that I had to eat to survive. That was the main reason. I looked up recipes online but didn't have ninety percent of the ingredients and what was mainly lacking was time. On most days I had to cook when I was already hungry and I just plain hated it. No wonder why students survive on instant noodles and coffee.I actually started to like cooking after getting married. That was the time when I realized that I can have my own setup in the kitchen and on the dinner table. Don't underestimate this feeling ladies, this is a big thing. I can cook whatever I want to and can serve it as nicely as possible, maybe put flowers or candles to decorate the table as well. No one will ask me why I am wasting my time over these even if the reason for doing all these on a random day may be that "I just wanted to, that's why!" So began my cooking expeditions.
There have been a lot of good things in marrying Arnab. One of them is that he loves to eat all sorts of food. It's not that he would only like Bengali food and nothing other than that. So I have full freedom in the kitchen. But then who taught me to cook? Here is the fun part... Julia Child and Leela Majumder....two ladies from two different parts of the world and completely different backgrounds and most importantly I have never met either of them. But through their cookbooks they have inspired me and have made me try my hand at French delicacies and traditional Bengali fares with the same enthusiasm. I can't pronounce the names of most of Julia Child's recipes (that's another reason why I'm learning French) and even though Leela Majumder's recipes are about Bengali food, but some of them are from East Bengal and as a result I have no idea of how they should taste or look like. So both of them are challenging in their own way.
I am glad that I found the right mentors to follow in this endeavor. Leela Majumder herself was exposed to the western style of cooking and western dishes so she could very well explain and compare those in her book and Julia Child of course had the "serventless" housewives in mind. So both work very well for me :) Also I like their styles of cooking. I have read many recipes for Bengali food in books, newspapers and the like but I never liked those. Most of them tell you to put a bunch of spices which in my opinion should clash in their flavorings. Also, some people unnecessarily try to be creative. I don't see any reason why ilish should be cooked with yogurt or onion-garlic and mustard paste should be added together in some dish! I think people have done those to western food as well, but as I don't have much experience with traditional European food, I can't comment on those.
Anyway, so here I am trying out my somewhat new hobby of cooking... and learning to find my way in this big and so far not much explored world of cuisines. It could be the genes I got passed down from my grand mom (on my mom's side who was a great cook) or could be that girls from Jessore anyway love to cook. Time and place changes but the characteristics probably live on...
4 comments:
a good hobby to keep you healthy and smiling. keep it up.
i agree that learning to cook gives you a lot of confidence. I taught myself to cook properly about 3 years back because I was so sick of office food and outside food and wanted the light food we ate at home. I felt very empowered that I could eat whatever I want whenever I liked without having to be dependent on restaurants (though of course I still eat out a good bit).
I also find it interesting that you find more time to cook as a working person rather than as a student. Do you feel in general that you have more time to follow your hobbies/interests now than as a student?
Yes I do think so. As a student the main focus is always studies and I neither had time nor money to spend on cooking :-)
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