Cooking at home is in again. For Monnappa M U, who works with a BPO, every weekend was about exploring new lounges, restaurants and pubs. “But now I have realised the advantage of partying at home, with good food and liquor. It works out to be more economical,” he says. “A large peg of scotch (60ml) in a decent restaurant will cost you about Rs 400-Rs 600, whereas you can get a 1 litre bottle at Rs 1,200 (customs price) outside.”
As the downturn hits, people are finding the option of cooking at home — including for gatherings with friends — to be a flexible, economical and even a comfortable format. “And if the host is an accomplished cook, you would love to eat that food. You can also serve your guest with great imported wine, which at times is difficult to get at restaurants, without pinching your wallet,” says Kripal Amanna, managing editor of the magazine Food Lovers.
Vijay Narayan Rao, founder of boutique realty firm Opus India, has decided to surprise his friends Slomo and Kjell Sankvik, who are visiting from Oslo, with home-made dum biriyani and Bengali fish curry. “These friends are into travel operations and they visit Bangalore at least twice a year, and every time we take them to premium restaurants. This time they are here for three nights and we decided to cook for them at home,” says Rao.
For many, even the allure of eating out has worn off. All places are beginning to look the same. “It’s no longer easy to find the food you really like even in expensive restaurants. And most of the time, going all the way to a restaurant is a pain,” says Rao. He too points out that eating out is very expensive. “A meal for six in a fine-dining place will come to between Rs 8,000 and Rs 10,000. The same food can be cooked at home at half that cost,” he says.
When the list of invitees is long, some are even opting for cooks, which is more cost-effective than having the party being organized in a restaurant. Professional cook Ramraj Tiwari is booked on almost all weekends, cooking for house parties.
“The number of calls I get for house parties has increased in the last few months. I charge Rs 200 a day for 6 to 8 people and Rs 400 for 10 to 15,” says Tiwari, whose clientele mostly includes IT professionals.
For Priya Sathish, a marketing professional, cooking is a stress buster. “There’s nothing like inviting friends over and cooking for them. Anything that you can buy from a restaurant, you can also cook at home. My husband and I used to eat out twice or thrice a week. But we have cut that to once or twice a month. And cooking also keeps me connected to home,” says Sathish.
Internationally too, there’s a trend away from eating out. Foreign food magazines, which normally used to feature premium restaurants and exotic menu on their cover pages, have also begun featuring budget cooking. “Reflecting the bad economy, Gourmet, which usually writes about expensive restaurants and faraway travel, has added a feature about what to do with leftovers, and put a ham sandwich albeit a fancy one on its March cover. Food & Wine’s March issue includes an essay on buying the cheapest bottle on a wine list. Bon Appitit’s April cover trumpets a low-cost, bigflavour pizza party,” reports The New York Times.
As the downturn hits, people are finding the option of cooking at home — including for gatherings with friends — to be a flexible, economical and even a comfortable format. “And if the host is an accomplished cook, you would love to eat that food. You can also serve your guest with great imported wine, which at times is difficult to get at restaurants, without pinching your wallet,” says Kripal Amanna, managing editor of the magazine Food Lovers.
Vijay Narayan Rao, founder of boutique realty firm Opus India, has decided to surprise his friends Slomo and Kjell Sankvik, who are visiting from Oslo, with home-made dum biriyani and Bengali fish curry. “These friends are into travel operations and they visit Bangalore at least twice a year, and every time we take them to premium restaurants. This time they are here for three nights and we decided to cook for them at home,” says Rao.
For many, even the allure of eating out has worn off. All places are beginning to look the same. “It’s no longer easy to find the food you really like even in expensive restaurants. And most of the time, going all the way to a restaurant is a pain,” says Rao. He too points out that eating out is very expensive. “A meal for six in a fine-dining place will come to between Rs 8,000 and Rs 10,000. The same food can be cooked at home at half that cost,” he says.
When the list of invitees is long, some are even opting for cooks, which is more cost-effective than having the party being organized in a restaurant. Professional cook Ramraj Tiwari is booked on almost all weekends, cooking for house parties.
“The number of calls I get for house parties has increased in the last few months. I charge Rs 200 a day for 6 to 8 people and Rs 400 for 10 to 15,” says Tiwari, whose clientele mostly includes IT professionals.
For Priya Sathish, a marketing professional, cooking is a stress buster. “There’s nothing like inviting friends over and cooking for them. Anything that you can buy from a restaurant, you can also cook at home. My husband and I used to eat out twice or thrice a week. But we have cut that to once or twice a month. And cooking also keeps me connected to home,” says Sathish.
Internationally too, there’s a trend away from eating out. Foreign food magazines, which normally used to feature premium restaurants and exotic menu on their cover pages, have also begun featuring budget cooking. “Reflecting the bad economy, Gourmet, which usually writes about expensive restaurants and faraway travel, has added a feature about what to do with leftovers, and put a ham sandwich albeit a fancy one on its March cover. Food & Wine’s March issue includes an essay on buying the cheapest bottle on a wine list. Bon Appitit’s April cover trumpets a low-cost, bigflavour pizza party,” reports The New York Times.
No comments:
Post a Comment