The secret of my happy marriage: I married a man who knows how to cook!

It was not riches or looks that I sought in my future partner. In fact, my parents were aghast when I told them I wanted to marry a man who knew more than his way around the kitchen. Every time I met a guy, I would slyly ask this question, “Do you know how to cook?” Some found this question funny and a few were surprised. But finally, I found the man of my dream, who besides being a great individual, knew how to run the kitchen.

If you have watched Kareena Kapoor Khan and Arjun Kapoor starrer ‘Ki and Ka’, you should not be surprised by the criticism we faced. My husband, a successful theatre artiste, was happy taking care of the kitchen. We were both working and had helpers to lend a hand when needed but when it came to deciding the menu for the week, planning a dinner, he was the one who always took charge. And I could not have been happier!

When we were toying with the idea of getting married, I had made it clear to him that I lacked the skills a kitchen demanded. I am, somehow, not comfortable with the idea of cooking and could never prepare a dish without turning it into a disaster. My mother had time and again reminded me about the critical role a girl’s culinary skill played in her married life. It was too late to reform me when my mother realised that she was blessed with a daughter who could work her magic with numbers (I am a mathematician) but fail at cooking something as simple as rice!

We were that odd couple whose disadvantages were a blessing in disguise. My husband is not good with figures and I struggled to remember the correct ingredients of the simplest recipe. We swapped the roles as defined by the society—my husband shouldered the responsibilities of the kitchen while I merrily handled the finances.

We have been happily married for four years and I can say, without any doubt, marrying a man who knew how to cook was the best decision of my life. We never had any ego hassles because he understood the pressure working women have nowadays. Every night I returned home with a bag of fresh groceries to be greeted by the aroma of freshly cooked food.

In this course of four years, I had never faced criticism from him. We have learned to strike a balance which, most people, might laugh at. We have often faced this question from our friends, “Who wears the pants?” My husband would laugh at their remark and come up witty replies like, “She does. And she wears skirts and sarees too and looks wonderful in whatever attire she wears!” It's not money that matters the most. For a happy marriage, you need a partner who understands you and accepts you the way you are–I found the man in my husband.

(All images used here are representational)