Why Every Man Should Learn to Cook – Dr. Chari’s Witty Heartfelt Lesson

Why Men Should Learn to Cook – A Cooking-Life Lessons from Dr. Chari

It all began on a Sunday morning at the Sriranga Vihara, when the smell of roasted cumin and curry leaves filled the kitchen.

Dr. Chari, wearing his reading glasses and an dhoti tied like a apron, murmured "Stir with Soul," as he serenely stirred sambhar with utmost concentration.

His son Saami wandered in, eyebrows raised. The neatly pressed Chapathi made Saami's mouth water in anticipation.....

“ Ayoo...Appa! Why are you cooking? Isn’t that Amma’s department?”

Radhamani, from the next room, coughed meaningfully — a sound somewhere between amusement and warning.

Dr. Chari chuckled. “Ah, Saami, that’s a very dangerous question. It has burnt more men than boiling oil!”

Saami looked puzzled. “But Appa, doctors don’t need to cook. You save lives and change lives!”

Dr. Chari smiled, tasting the sambhar with the reverence of a scientist checking a formula.

“Saving lives, my boy, begins with saving meals.”

The Wales Revelation

Dr. Chari continued— turning a kitchen story into a life lesson. As only he could.....

“Many winters ago, in the cold landscape of Wales, I learnt that hunger doesn’t care for degrees or designations. There were no idlis, no rasam, not even a decent dal! The only thing available was something called boiled mystery stew, which moved slightly when served.”

Radhamani laughed from the corridor. “He’s exaggerating again! ...Your Appa....”

Dr. Chari went on, eyes twinkling.

“So, one day, I took destiny — and the frying pan — into my own hands. I learnt to cook.

Slowly, sacredly. The kitchen became my first laboratory, and the ladle, my stethoscope.”

The Philosophy of the Pan

“Cooking,” said Dr. Chari, “isn’t just about feeding the body. It’s about dissolving ego bit by bit.”

“When you cook, you can’t rush. You can’t pretend. The salt will expose you. The flame will test your patience. And the aroma — ah, that will reward your attention and senses.!”

He turned to Saami. “Every man should cook. Not to impress someone, but to meet himself. In cooking, you learn humility — the chapati never obeys the proud. You learn empathy — the rice must soften at the right moment. And above all, you learn presence — because one distracted moment, and your rasam turns rebellion and dark black.”

Saami giggled. “So cooking is like meditation?”

Dr. Chari nodded. “Exactly. Except this meditation ends with a good reward, lunch.”

The Last Spoon

By now, the kitchen smelled divine. Mylo, Sita, the dogs, sat near the door, tail wagging approvingly, waiting for a taste... Kumudum, the cat purred in appreciation....

Dr. Chari poured sambhar over steaming rice, placed a sprig of coriander on top like a signature, and said,

“Remember, Saami — a man who can cook never starves, never dominates, and never forgets gratitude. He knows what it means to nourish.”

Dr Chari fried soft mellow chapathi on the tava as the kitchen filled with aroma of satiety..and human warmth.

Saami, tasting the first bite, said softly,

“Appa, this sambhar tastes like Amma’s love and your patience.”

Dr. Chari smiled. “That, my boy, is the perfect recipe — love and patience, in equal parts. Everything else is seasoning.”

Moral from Ponmanipudi:

Learn to cook — not just to fill your stomach, but to awaken your soul. Because when a man learns to cook, he also learns to care. To share and care is what life's success is all about, right?