Kochechi and the “Great Indian Kitchen” 

For those who missed my earlier blog: Read the story of Kochechi, an inspiration behind the Kochechi brand of homemade traditional Kerala style food products like fish pickles, dry fish, banana chips, arrowroot power, and more, from Fresh Foods Kerala.

The other day while preparing breakfast with my 14-year-old son, I told him that the Indian kitchen is the worst anti-woman system in the world. I emphasize Indian Kitchen because I believe no other parts of the world have such elaborate food habits as ours. And for South India, and especially Kerala, the kitchen is the epitome of patriarchy in all respects.

Thanks to Jeo Baby and team for their wonderful movie “The Great Indian Kitchen” that framed the real life of a typical Malayali woman, who is forced to work, grow and dream in the kitchen, the kitchen alone. The world outside is a mirage for a vast majority of women in Kerala, even today.  The uproar the movie created among the so-called noble families and the pro-patriarchal communities proved that it has hit the target. Yes, it did!

But, will things change forever? Not likely at least for another century, I guess. Look at each new construction that rises up in our neighbourhood. There’s a significant space allocated for the kitchen, the store room, the work area- in some cases two, and also the “chulha kitchen.” Agree; we have sufficient backyard in most households, so getting the wood logs for the energy-saving chulha is not difficult. Well, but do you understand the health hazards it brings to the women who inhale the smoke for hours? Many of our mothers and Kochechis have succumbed to lung diseases at much younger age, thanks to these unhealthy practices imposed on them.

Can we transform our kitchen? In an age when women empowerment and women equality occupy the centre stage of most discussions, has the status of Indian kitchen changed a bit? During the discussion on the movie ‘The Great Indian Kitchen,’ someone suggested that we should wipe off the kitchen area from the building plan entirely. Instead, a space for cooking, storing and dining should be allocated within the living room area.

Ask any woman you know, she will say this is a great idea. I myself had thought of this in my early married life, when I used to peep out from the door to watch a favorite movie playing in the TV while busy preparing the lunch or dinner. And you can guess what happens during the climax of the movie J

Ask any woman whether they enjoy reading the newspaper while having their morning coffee/tea as most men in their family do? No! For majority of today’s women, morning tea is a process of gulping the liquid in the glass for the sake of filling an empty stomach. Reading the newspaper is a luxury for many; lucky are those who are on a long journey to work.  

And talk about the exercise….. For me, the best time to do work-out is while preparing dosa! Between each dosa, you get a gap of 2-3 minutes to perform one cycle of suryanamaskara or at least five deep breaths. Lol! It really works! If I could complete my workout cycle during breakfast preparation, I am happy…… happy because I don’t have to find another time for that!! And, how men perform this same task is beautifully depicted in The Great Indian Kitchen!

to be contd…….

Rajani Baburajan

Co-founder, Kochechi, a brand of Fresh Foods Kerala