Kings of the kitchen

The Japanese adage that “Men don’t enter the kitchen” is fast becoming a thing of the past. This is because more men are not only entering the kitchen but are making their marks as good cooks, and even winning competitions ahead of their women counterparts. Has anyone noticed the number of men participating in the Maggi cooking competition every year? Well, the answer is that they (men) are not only participating, they are also winning.

But why are men taking to cooking these days? A number of them said they have always nursed the thought of cooking and so took up the challenge. They cite a variety of reasons for cooking like their wives who have become ill and can no longer cook for them, they having been transferred by their organisations away from their family, or they simply saw a cooking show on TV and decided to give it a try. Some even said that women have compelled them to take up cooking because most times their wives make jest of them of not knowing how to cook anything aside boiling water. Common among all of them, however, is the satisfaction derived from the taste of food prepared with their own hands.

Mr. David Okey, a civil servant with the Ministry of Works, says “I had to learn to start cooking when I was transferred from Lagos to Abuja. There was no way I could start packing the whole family with me to Abuja so I had to come alone. I was initially eating out but when it started telling on my financial capacity, I had to learn to cook. I first started with instant noodles before I gradually started cooking main dishes. Anytime I went back to Lagos I will always stay with my wife in the kitchen to learn to cook the meals she does. I can conveniently say I am better than she is now. I have been cooking for the past five years now and I am happy and glad that I decided to take up cooking. Even when my wife is around I will tell her sometimes to rest while I do the cooking. It is always funs for the family anytime I cook.”

Ifeanyi Uzoma, an Abuja based lawyer, says “I am the only guy amongst ladies in my family. So naturally I learnt how to cook. Anytime they were in the kitchen I was with them as I loved being with them. Gradually I took up the skills of cooking. When I was in the University I was the one always cooking for my roommates. Even now my wife gives me kudos for my cooking skills. Sometimes we cook together which is always exciting by the way. She doesn’t use her cooking to torment me because she knows it wouldn’t have any effect me. Funny enough my son seems to be tagging along that line too as he is always in the kitchen whenever we cook. There is really nothing compared to the feeling a man gets when he cooks a meal.”

“I had to take up the challenge of cooking when I saw men participating and even winning the competition even though women were also part of the competition. Before I got married I had to rely on my sisters or female friends to cook for me. Sometimes they will even exploit me and tell me to pay for the services of helping me cook especially the different soups. Asides that I found out that I wasn’t eating a balanced diet as I was always eating out. One day I just decided that I must learn to cook and today I am proud to say I can cook virtually any dish you ask me to. My wife actually encouraged me to take up cooking lessons and I am glad I did. The only thing I cannot do is to pound yam but soup o! Count me in,” Olanrewaju Adeniyi, an accountant said.

Interestingly many men who are approaching retirement and expecting to have more time to spend with their families are taking up cooking, according to some of them, to ease the burden of housework on their wives. There are also those who, upon being forced to cook for the first time after their wives become ill, are shocked to find that their meals turned out to be a disaster.

As changes in lifestyle continue to emerge, it looks like the kitchen is no longer for women alone. Men are gradually establishing themselves as kings of the kitchen.