Wednesday, May 03, 2006 @10:07 PM
Sometime last year, I was having lunch with my boss. There was a Vietnamese doctor who grew up in the West sitting at the table. We started chatting.
He asked, “Do you know how to cook rice?”
Cook rice?? I starred at him trying to figure out what he meant exactly.
“Yeaaa…”
“Oh you really know how to cook rice?”
“Do you mean the rice that we eat? Yes!”
“That’s good. How do you cook it?”
“Eeerrr well, isn’t that simple? You just scope some rice grain and put into the rice cooker. Then you wash the rice a few times and add some water and then press the ‘cook’ button. Wait for 20 minutes or a bit more, the rice is then ready to eat.”
“Noooo, I don’t mean cooking rice using rice cooker, but using a normal pot. That’s the tricky bit! You have to watch the pot closely. You can't let it cook for too long because the rice would burn at the bottom of the pot. But if you don't cook long enough, the rice is not cooked properly.”
“Yeah, you’re right; that’s too much work. Good thing is I always bring with me a rice cooker wherever (which country) I move to.”
Then he further went on talking about rice and cooking.
“My mother told me one critical point to consider whether a girl is good enough to marry is if she knows how to cook rice using the traditional way.”
He paused and then continued, “Well, you know in my days, there wasn’t any electrical rice cooker available.”
Well, I’m glad that this Vietnamese doctor whose children are just a few years younger than me did manage to emphasize that those were his olden days…if not, I would really start thinking he might want to insult me who doesn’t know how to cook rice using the old-fashioned/low-tech way! Hehe…I wonder did his current wife pass his mother’s strict assessment since he did not, anyway, end up marrying either a Vietnamese or an Asian.
When I was a freshman at college, on one fine evening, I was sort of invited to a friend’s friend’s friend’s place for dinner. Before going to the host’s place, I knew nothing about the host except he was a year senior than us. I was there because I tagged along my friend and her friend; the latter was staying at this guy’s place for the winter semester break. Anyway, while chilling out there watching some rented movies; we were invited to stay over for dinner. That was my first time ever eating a meal prepared by a guy. My jaw dropped after my first bite of the steak. It was really yum!! But at the same time, I was swamped with embarrassment because my friend and I suck in cooking at that time. Well, I still do. At least up till now I still can’t make the steak sauce from scratch. How can guys be such great cook?
I used to have the weird conservative thought about females being talented (or should be capable) in housework especially cooking. The very traditional Chinese or Asian culture seemed to be like this. Even some of people from my parents’ generation, only the wives cook in the family because they have to. It is their responsibility. I have heard some old people telling me firmly that guys should not spend time in the kitchen! I was like, "Are you kidding?!!". But now time has changed. The society has evolved. The kitchen is no longer an exclusive place for the females. There are more and more male counterparts know how to cook and some even cook better than many of us. It is not uncommon to hear my female coworkers mentioning that their spouse would have dinner ready at the table when they get home. I have also tried fantastic food prepared by male friends. Guys can really be better cooks. Does this explain why back in the olden days (i.e. way back to those Chinese dynasties), famous chefs were all males? Or is it just because females were not allowed to expose themselves to work outside and hence left with the choice but to take care of their family?
I am definitely not a great cook. You will not be food-poisoned. The food will not burn, rarely. That’s all I can guarantee. If my husband turns out to be a better cook than me, I really don’t mind letting him showing off his talent. But I do like the thought of cooking his favorite dishes for him. Call me old-fashioned. Whoever cooks, I do mind doing the dishes though. So he better loves the washing job because he has to!
I feel lucky that I wasn’t born in my parents’ generation because cooking is no longer a compulsory chore to the majority of the women. I am also glad that I am not dating someone whose mother is like the Vietnamese doctor’s. I couldn’t imagine not passing my future mother-in-law’s assessment just because I couldn’t cook rice, well, using the primitive way.
