Students whip up a gastronomic delight

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Learning to whip up chicken curry or vegetable pulav is passé for Chennai’s young girls. Instead with summer here, they have enrolled for specialised classes in baking, chocolate making and even signed up to learn Mexican and Chinese cuisine.

Some youngsters want to spend their summer vacation learning to swim or embroider, but cooking workshops won the popular vote.
Sandhya Shivakumar, a class 12 student has learnt to bake cakes with her friends. “My friends and I love to cook. We attended cooking classes together and learnt how to make cakes and chocolate mixing. Once in a while, we get together and try it. It is fun to cook with friends and at the same time we flaunt it among our friends.”
Sandhya said they also shout out for parental help if the recipe goes terribly wrong.
A computer science student Subha Pal says the workshops are economical and meet the needs of girls who love stirring up surprises for family and friends. “Cooking is my hobby, I love cooking. These classes are very economical and it is fun to learn cooking with friends,” says Subha, adding that she now knows how to make cakes, chocolates, pizza and continental food.
When she gets together with friends, they try out their own cooking methods and the dish often turns out great.
Most mothers would be delighted to teach their daughters age-old family recipes, but youngsters are focussed on cuisine that sits apart from the traditional. Gayathri R., says her mother taught her to make vegetable pulav, kesari, halwa. “My mom is not familiar with Chinese and Mexican food. So I learnt those dishes and now I can proudly say that I know to cook.”
She said pictures of her cooking up treats with her friends won enthusiastic responses from other friends on networking sites.
Parents too are glad to see their children learn to cook. Homemaker Guna Sundari said it is unusual for the modern girl to enter the kitchen, but she is always ready to offer her daughter any help required. “These days’ girls hardly enter kitchen and it is surprising that all her friends come home and cook when they feel bored. I help them if they want some tips.”

Shreesha S. Reddy
The Asian Age