They say a woman’s place is the kitchen. I am not here to dispute that but that makes the woman a unique creature. No matter the size of that kitchen, a whole lot of lesson are learnt from the kitchen that helps the African woman to be who she chooses to be in this so called ‘Men’s world’.
I will talk about some of the values the girl child imbibes into her subconscious self while growing up closely with her mother in the kitchen.
Focus
Preparing a meal in the kitchen requires some level of focus. You don’t want your food coming out tasting horrible right? So you pay attention to every details (ingredients).
Multitasking 
A woman has to be good at multitasking to survive and be efficient in the kitchen. You don’t want to spend the whole day in the kitchen knowing fully well that you have other things to do. Therefore, you have to slice the pepper, onions and tomatoes while the oil heats up, break the eggs while the sauce fries.
Patience & ENDURANCE
They say patience is a virtue. When you are in the kitchen, it is truly a virtue. My Chemistry teacher taught me that the boiling point of water is 100 degree Celsius (212 Fahrenheit)…oh pulis!…..Have you noticed it takes more time for a kettle of water to boil when you stand by it than when you have the whole day to wait? Oh well, that’s how it seems to me though. You still gotta be patient and wait.
How about cooking beans? Life is really a pot of beans!
Pain
Asides from emotional abuse, domestic abuse and bad coitus pain, the kitchen is the number one place where the woman experiences pain. Ranging from strong heat to knife cuts to tin opener to burnt fingers to oil blisters, the list of endless. But they go through this things without complaints and just the smiles on people’s face while eating her meal takes the pain away.
This is why the show of appreciation is very important.
TIME MANAGEMENT
You can’t be in the kitchen if you can’t manage time. That’s so impossible. The kitchen and cooking are synonymous with time. If you don’t want to serve a burnt food, half done meal, or taste fighting meal, you must know what time and how long you should do, allow, leave or put.
STRENGHT
In the kitchen, you need strength to turn that semovita, you need strength to pound that yam, you need strength to make that amala, you need strength to prepare Fufu.
Yes I know we have the ones that are almost ready made, but at the end, you still need strength to finally make them edible.
And that strength? It isn’t easy.
MOVING ON
You will make so many mistakes in the kitchen when trying out new stuffs. Even when making the meals you feel you are good at. But we always find the strength to correct our mistake by finding a way to make amend or starting all over (Yes we do start all over without you know, especially when we are the lord of the kitchen, lool).
OPENS YOUR MIND TO CHANGE
Just as new Apps, software and electronics are being invented every day, so are new meals and new methods of making them. You have to be open minded and accept change. You can’t be the boss of all kitchens or you keep eating archaic meals
These are some of the Values you learn from the KITCHEN that can be applied in a corporate organization, in your day to day activities and even in your relationships.
So when they tell you “you will still end up in the kitchen.” Just to spite you, tell them ‘IT STARTED FROM THE KITCHEN ANYWAYS” DUUUUH!
THE KITCHEN – A SCHOOL OF VALUE.
IF YOU CAN HANDLE THE HEAT IN THE KITCHEN THEN YOU CAN HANDLE THE HEAT IN THE WORLD.
11 comments
Hmmmmm…..very true sis!
Life’s lessons. Women ought to be appreciated more o.
Wow! I loved this, gives a whole new perspective!
that blister looks painful
The kitchen we all seem to kno…..has more to it dan we rili imagined!! Nice
I know what it is like to be in that world called kitchen… it’s like being a superhero, kudos to our women, mothers and sisters that made kitchens are sanctuary of savoury experiences… It’s just sad that now we have an indomie generation where nobody wants to learn or hold this lovely values as highlighted by Elsie… Our women now stay longer in bars and clubs than the kitchen and there fav food is just indomie… they are on the fast lane.. No focus on what they want with life…only those words that starts with “F” seem appealing to them.. They can’t even do one thing at a time not to dream multitasking, the only time they endure is when they fix Brazilian and the only time they feel pain is when they break a sexily painted nail. They can’t even manage their course work as students, there assignments are always written by one nerdy guy and they never know what was init… they lack strength by all standard and even their indomie get burnt with the sauce not evenly distributed because they are too lazy to stair it.. Their minds are caught in the trap of free-will, they forget that “You are free to choose, but you are not free from the consequences of your choice” so they choose the easiest, Indomie, eateries and the are locked to what is available and not open to any change since they don’t like the kitchen and it’s values… The don’t even know what the heat in there is like, they fail at everything because they choose fail and they complain when every other thing fall apart around them… instead of admitting to lacking the skill to interact effectively with the world around them, a skill they could have acquired in the kitchen, they busy their mind with complaining, pointing fingers and blaming the success of those that have mastered the art and heat of the kitchen for their woes..I love my kitchen and i don’t complain when my soup get burnt, i just watch the pot and get some fresh pepper in it to reinitiate the soup brewing process. I am notorious for making the best semo at the right texture and feel, you can apply for cooking lessons if you wanna learn the secrets… and if you know me, you’ll know my favourite part of the house is the kitchen, that is where life starts and get nurtured and not the bedroom… Yours truly, The Eligible Bachelor
Babaolowo, my brother from another mother. You told it as it is. Women with domestic powers are now rare. Men are becoming better with domestic affairs. Soon house-husband is going to be an actual phrase. Welcome to the new age. What cannot be changed must be adapted to, and what cannot be adapted to must be endured. The kitchen affair now has to be split of a maid brought into the matter. Can’t blame the women that go for a career though, but the ones with nothing to offer plus no cooking skills…bad market lol
You are 100% right Elsie, if you can multitask and organise your kitchen very well, then I can asure you, you won’t have any serious problem becoming a project manager.
Lol…. Babaolowo can like to tell story sha… I see you my good friend.
Well the women folk are in many ways more equipped to handle life a lot more than men. Some researchers have made such submissions and I dont have any reason to doubt that for a minute. Elsie, your analogies and scenarios are quite realistic and it could be said that there are various transferable skills embedded in a woman which would be very relevant in the corporate world as well. Be that as it may, there are some women who neither possess these skills nor are willing to admit their need to learn. They feel its a competition and the guy has as much responsibility in the kitchen. Such assertions could very well be deceptive.
This piece is timeless….kudos Elsie.