Around a month back, acclaimed Indian cricketer Saurav Ganguly was schooled by the internet after the men were seen relishing a feast organized at his home while the women, including his wife Dona, were seen standing next to them serving food.
All men are eating together.
An internationally acclaimed one of the finest dancers of India is standing there watching them eating.
Dona Ganguly is hosting Amit Shah. Not Sourav. pic.twitter.com/fDfKXVKMSf
— 🧩 Dr.Snow ❄️ || HAPPY PRIDE 🏳️🌈🌻 (@zyadaahorahahai) May 6, 2022
This highlighted how the atrocious and problematic norms of women unnecessarily serving men and eating last is deep-rooted in our culture and have even infected the who’s who of society.
We get it. Moms are the sweetest creators who want to make sure everyone eats perfectly and stands on our heads to force-feed us out of love. But they have also been conditioned to believe that even if they’re hungry, they would never eat before everyone else has eaten for reasons they themselves can’t decipher.
Speaking on these lines, a Twitter user tweeted that in the era of ‘Ladies first’, moms still eat last.
People say 'Ladies first'
But my mom eats at last— Anshika Malik (@malikanshika43) June 11, 2022
Her two-liner sparked a debate for good.
u would like to believe it’s due to some patriarchal oppression against woman.. but the fact is it’s mothers love and affection towards her family, this behaviour can be found across all life form..
— Proxy Bhakt (@proxy_bhakt) June 12, 2022
Exactly! As if our father/ GF generation were misogynistic monsters and we are the enlightened ones who have started giving respect to women.
These was simply the trends in those days. Men go out, work, women handle family. These trends keep on changing with time— Hanu Dutt Sharma (@hdS_29) June 12, 2022
Just checking if you asked your mom eat first… and by me… anyone who cooks… eats last… that’s how the person cooking knows every one is fed… it doesn’t have a gender or age… did you ever check what a chief at a 5 star hotel eat (hint: left overs)…
— HariP (@Recaph) June 13, 2022
No one pressures her to do so it’s her love and affection toward her family and kids to have a complete meal that gives her satisfaction and lets her have a meal at last.
Every mother is love. She is the supreme member of at least my family.— Rajnish Kumar 🇮🇳 (@RajnishJKumar) June 12, 2022
They want everything good happened to their families first then to themselves
They are heroes ❤️— Hunny Sharma (@funnysharmaa) June 11, 2022
The most important point is: The cook eats last..
And as moms typically are cooks, they eat last..— Prince Krishna (@IPrinceKrishna) June 12, 2022
People highlighted how regressive and misogynistic this norm sounds.
That has been a tradition in our culture which needs to be changed.
— Vishwas Sambhus (@SambhusVishwas) June 12, 2022
Yes.. if my mom eats last, its the mistake of people and the society.
— shan (@alphajanthu) June 13, 2022
This is the sad truth babout our Indian Society where goddesses are worshiped in idols but the real goddess is deprived of their respect , i.e. our mom , sister , wife ,etc
— AAYUSHPANDAY (@Samael_Reborn) June 12, 2022
It has to change.
— Nila (@Nila_Dr) June 12, 2022
It is a kind of slavery practice in home itself. Not allowing Indian wives to eat before husband and not sitting with husband. the irony is they cook food and eat last. They call it culture?😺
You are also woman why did you never asked your mom to sit with you and eat? 🤔— Jagan A (@j_ajagan) June 12, 2022
Plus, no one would know whether she ate or not
— 🇮🇳Ritu Jain🇮🇳 (@RituJaz81) June 13, 2022
Tumaye ghar me patriarchy pasri hui hai.
— Amogh Balak (@AmoghBalak) June 12, 2022
There were also some sensible ones who said they make sure their moms eat with them.
I don’t remember if this has happened in my house.
Either she eats with us or no one’s having..we wait:)— Akash (@Aeroguyyy) June 11, 2022
We always eat together. Sometimes us kids eat earlier but my parents always eat together. They wait for each other. 🤷🏻
Not just food, my parents drink their morning and evening coffee/tea together as well. pic.twitter.com/DUn7h5noGC
— Satwik Gawand 🦄 (@satwikgawand) June 12, 2022
I wait for my mother , we always eat together 🙂
— Abhay (@abhayahuja4) June 12, 2022
I too wait for my wife to join us. She says, you start I will join. By the time she joins us, i would have finished. So, now insisting her to sit first.
— Hanees Mohammed (@Hanees) June 12, 2022
After so many argument and all, i am able to make her eat on time and not to wait for anyone.😇😇
— Indian🇮🇳 (@indian_1004) June 12, 2022
‘She does it out of love,’ said a lot of people online. But don’t we love them enough to force them to not starve and harm themselves and join the entire family while eating? Rather than brushing this issue under the carpet of ‘maa ka pyar’ we should show them some respect and pull a chair for them at the table.