Call up `Ask Me' Services and ask for the phone numbers of any cookery classes in Pune. The barrage of numbers stretches infinitely and you eventually have to beg them to stop. Cooking classes have always existed but the urge to learn newer and more exotic fare has never been more. The fact is that every institution in society exists as a response to certain sociological factors. The ever increasing numbers of cookery classes too can be seen as a sociological phenomenon which goes beyond tickling one's palate.Vibha is a student who has already joined cooking classes. ``Initially, I was very hesitant to join up because it feels as if its just a means of increasing your value in the marriage market. Infact, I joined because my mother was very keen that I learn different types of dishes. However, now I really enjoy myself,'' she says. The marriage market is one major factor for the number of young girls who attend these classes. Usha Bambawale, eminent sociologist, explains that it has become part of the social graces. ``It is like preparing a complete product for the market,'' she explains.However, as Khaironisa Pathan who conducts cooking classes says that she has students from the age of 18 to 80. Women are concerned about the health of their children and family. They not only want to provide variety but also diminish the worries that go along with eating out. ``Children, today, are products of a consumerist culture. They are not happy with eating simple food or staying at home. It is a question of aping everything they see on T.V,'' says Pathan.It is therefore incumbent on the mother to ``not just provide variety but do it within a budget,'' explains Vaishali, a student at Mrs Khan's classes.Besides the above factors, cooking has also joined the rank of clothes and jewellry as a means of one upmanship. For the upwardly mobile middle class it is an asset like owning a set of crystal glasses. Usha Bambawale calls it the ``Marie Antionette Phenomenon''. Women can't make their traditional dishes but they want to cook Mexican,'' she says. It is now all part of the social game.The worrying part is that women are learning to look at these concepts as something that is natural. Is it natural to want to learn cooking as a means of survival? Yes, definitely, but not when it becomes a means of grading women in society. What happens is that an unnatural atmosphere of competition is fostered through such absurdities as cooking. There are women who satisfy their creativity through cooking but it becomes pathetic when this is the only avenue available for self expression. For the housewife whose word revolves around her house cooking class means a step outside only to serve those inside. It all becomes a part of the identity of the `modern woman.' However, if you examine the concept carefully it is just old wine in a new bottle.Another interesting angle to these classes is that they have become a lucrative business proposition for a number of women. Working from home at a time convenient for all (usually the afternoon), it is a race to convince the student that they are the best. Currently, the rates in the city range from Rs 200 to Rs 350 per class - but no one is complaining because you can learn eight to ten recipes in one hour. Cynics label it a money making racket. However, there is no denying that this phenomenon is an important part of the spirit of entrepreneurship washing over women now-a-days. So much for just filling the stomach with food.
