Ratatouille, is that you?

'The Ministry of Cooks' has recently noticed an anomaly —a sudden surge in men taking to the kitchen and crafting scrumptious dishes. Traditionally, women took care of matters related to the kitchen, then why this change?

When Sakhawat, an undergraduate student currently in Canada, was asked about his cooking endeavours, he exclaimed, "Never had I ever stepped into my kitchen while in Bangladesh! However, I had to walk right into 'Narnia' when I realised that my bills were skyrocketing for the three meals I was having in the canteen."

For many like Sakhawat it was out of sheer desperation, while for others it was simply their passion.

Following Tasty on Facebook helped Kumayl realise how easily he could bake a brownie with thick chocolate oozing out of the crust as the spongy surface is sliced open. Moreover, he would not have to rush to Mesquite Grill every time he got steak cravings. He started experimenting with the simplest of dishes to now effortlessly cooking anything his stomach desires.

In addition, this also helped Kumayl start a small business on Instagram by the name of 'Mammamade' where he takes orders for food from his followers, while only studying in grade 10!

"When I was a teenager, we were going through a crisis. We could not find a cook and my mother ended up spending all day at the kitchen. Once, while I was on vacation, I had the spare time and so I decided to help her out. Thus, began my journey of cooking," Wajid now a full time marketer, reminisced, "It started off with something as simple as boiling rice and burnt omelettes, to slowly learning to cook more complicated dishes."

Helping his mother in the kitchen helped him develop a habit of cooking regularly so much so that he is the one who takes the responsibility of preparing food for the family on weekends.

Experiences similar to these have drawn men to what was an unfamiliar territory for them. However, these are not necessarily the likeliest of causes.

"We can now see that women are becoming more career oriented and are taking up jobs to support themselves and their families. This further proved they were having very little time to spend in the kitchen," said Afrin Khan, a primary school teacher.

Some caring husbands have also realised how difficult it gets for working women to come home and complete household chores. They have lent a helping hand and divided household work amongst each other in which they have taken up cooking.

To sum the new trend, one might quote Mrs Funnybones herself —

"The man of the house, unlike me, can actually cook. You must always find a partner who can do a few mundane chores around the house so that you can relax in your favourite armchair and nourish your brain with books just like these."

Even Akshay Kumar is not far behind in taking up cooking for the family! What are you waiting for?

Photo: LS Archive/Sazzad Ibne Sayed