Completely fascinated by this narration and congratulations to its author. Despite the fostered enemity of leaders across borders, one could smoothly substitute India for Pakistan in this story- the expectations from women in the kitchen seem to be the same in both the countries- must be the shared pre-Partition DNA🙂. Time and again one will hear this phrase about a career-minded Indian woman as ALSO being a very good cook. No doubt a new generation of young women is pushing back by hiring cooks. Still, there is the underlying assumption that the kitchen is the woman's domain and she is responsible and judged for what is served from there. Perhaps Pakistani and Indian women can work together by sharing kitchen stories, including the drudgery, to find the peace that has long eluded the sub-continent.
Completely fascinated by this narration and congratulations to its author. Despite the fostered enemity of leaders across borders, one could smoothly substitute India for Pakistan in this story- the expectations from women in the kitchen seem to be the same in both the countries- must be the shared pre-Partition DNA🙂. Time and again one will hear this phrase about a career-minded Indian woman as ALSO being a very good cook. No doubt a new generation of young women is pushing back by hiring cooks. Still, there is the underlying assumption that the kitchen is the woman's domain and she is responsible and judged for what is served from there. Perhaps Pakistani and Indian women can work together by sharing kitchen stories, including the drudgery, to find the peace that has long eluded the sub-continent.
loved it!
Wonderful article! Thank you for this fascinating perspective to our recent history.
This was a great article and thank you for the aloo mattar insight, I will never forget