cooking rice; kitchenmaid; cook
Can refer to the act of cooking rice or, by extension, a person who cooks rice, especially in a traditional or historical context. The 'kitchenmaid' sense is somewhat dated.
In the past, cooking rice was one of the important household chores.
She worked as a cook at a traditional inn.
female cook; kitchenmaid · waitress-prostitute in Osaka teahouses
Compound of 飯 (めし, 'cooked rice') and 炊き (たき, the continuative form of 炊く 'to cook rice'). The reading めしたき is a straightforward combination.