The Corona Virus pandemic has brought about a seismic cultural shift when it comes to food habits. Where millions of workers all around the world stormed to take-outs and restaurants for lunchtimes, are now confined to their homes owing to lockdown orders. ‘’Stay at home’’ has become the new normal now. During the time spent at home, people are looking for new hobbies and past times that can engage the family, and bring comfort in times that are ridden with anxiety and pressure.
Nothing brings people together better than sharing food. People used to eat out so much, but now they cannot celebrate the same way. For a lot of people, cooking is therapeutic, and the joy of breaking a meal with family can cut through psychological pressure which is profound in these troubling times.
The internet becomes a vital resource when it comes to starting home cooking. Platforms such as Mamicookingtips.com give people access to cooking tips, tools, and resources to enjoy a convenient time in the kitchen.
Restaurants are amongst the retail sectors that are suffering the most. Since most meat processing, and food processing plants cannot operate without human contact, restaurants cannot maintain their inventory. While ordinary people can go and buy fresh produce at grocery stores, restaurants can’t do the same as many eminent stores like Walmart have applied a limit to the number of items a person can buy at one time.
This reason, coupled with a countrywide lockdown made the operations of a restaurant impossible to operate. Even after the gravity of the lockdown was eased at certain locations, the fear of getting infected prompted people to avoid public spaces.
The situation was further exacerbated by the rhetoric of medical health professionals that stressed on healthy eating. Since eating out is generally associated with poor eating habits, people realized the importance of eating organic food, and that too at home. Nutritionists further highlighted the importance of a healthy eating habit for immunity boosting, which meant that people stop preferring to eat outside.
These are troubling times, and people are realizing the importance of returning back to a more primitive form of living: one that isn’t fast-paced rather focuses on spending time with the nuclear family. Eating together at home with family is inspired by the idea that sharing a meal with friends and family is nourishing and spiritually healing for both the mind and soul.
But, people are stressing that now is not the time to celebrate in large numbers. Eating at home during the pandemic should not focus on gathering a large number of people for a bbq party or celebration because it violates the importance of social distancing. The purpose is to connect with your nuclear family and wait for the day when the hard times have passed so that people can through festive backyard parties to gather their friends and mates for a good laugh and food.
For now, patience and caution should be exercised. People need to connect with more humble roots of their origin, when the prime source of entertainment is an intimate social connection with family members, and eating at home clearly achieves that.