Why does festive cooking hurt so much?
Because it asks for a week’s work in two or three days. At Chinese New Year, Hari Raya or Deepavali, the kitchen becomes a factory: cookies and kuih, big pots of curry and rendang, steaming, frying and washing up.
You stand for hours, bend to low cupboards and ovens, and lift pots that are far heavier than your everyday ones. The same person ends up doing most of it, and the back pays.
Which cooking tasks strain the back most?
Look at where the load builds up.
- Standing at the counter for hours, chopping and rolling.
- Stirring a big, heavy pot of rendang, dodol or curry.
- Lifting large pots on and off the stove.
- Bending to a low oven or deep fridge.
- Washing up at a sink that is too low.
If you can only fix two, pick the heaviest pot and the longest standing time.
How can I set up the kitchen to ease my back?
Raise the work. Use a table at a comfortable height for rolling pastry or shaping cookies, and sit on a stool when the task allows.
Place a foot on a low step while you chop, and swap feet. Put the heavy pots on the stove before you fill them, and ladle out rather than lifting a full pot. Keep what you need within easy reach, between waist and shoulder height.
How can I pace myself and share the work?
Spread the cooking over a few days. Make the dishes that keep, like cookies and paste, early, and leave only the fresh dishes for the last day.
Give relatives jobs, as above. A cousin can wash, a teenager can carry, and a sibling can stir. In Ipoh families, the cooking is a way of being together, so sharing it can feel warm instead of awkward.
Every forty minutes, sit for five. Walk to the garden, drink water and bend backwards a little with your hands on your hips.
What if I am the one who always cooks?
That is a kind of caring, and it can quietly wear you down. Say out loud what you need: one dish fewer, a helper at the stove, or a day off before the visitors come.
If you also care for a parent, read about caregiver strain and back care. Our guide on lifting safely at home has steps for heavy pots and bags.
When should I get help?
See a doctor first if your back pain comes with numbness around the groin, leg weakness, fever or trouble passing urine. For ordinary back strain that does not settle in a week or two, a physiotherapist can help.
Read about back pain, then see our home physiotherapy page. A visit can be arranged before or after the festival. Prices are quoted on WhatsApp.