Over the past year, we've been told not to eat inside restaurants. Outdoors, maybe, but inside not until vaccinated. And maybe even once vaccinated. At the same time, every.single.meal has been made at home - with many of us trying our hand at sourdough starter, creative baked goods, plant-based meat alternatives and so much more we never thought would creep into our kitchen. But after a year at the kitchen sink, I wonder if I'm alone in thinking that simple cooking - and takeout - is here to stay.
Eating at home has made me less impulsive when grocery shopping (no checkout lines!) and eliminates the sticker shock of a meal out (one meal can equal the cost of a week's worth of groceries). But it has also made me gravitate towards the simple, the familiar and the easy - not necessarily unhealthy - but easy. Everyone at home appears satisfied.
At one point in time I considered myself well-versed on the latest restaurant openings across the city, the newest snacks to creep into the supermarket and spent hours scouring recipe blogs. Now, I find myself wanting to buy foods that I like, are easy and good for the environment. I don't miss fancy meals, what I miss is the barista at the cafe nearby, the casual encounters of acquaintances in my daily routine. Sitting in a coffee shop with a friend. But the actual restaurant experience, I can take it or leave it. I'm wondering if others feel similarly.
Our kitchen has shifted to the imperfect, with Imperfect Foods being the shining example of the non-foodie alternative. It's a box of food, no frills, delivered to your door each week. Limited options, no waste and inexpensive. Maybe the food has funky packaging, is discolored in some way, or most of the time there's just too much of it. But that's made it perfect for us. It's good enough. Perhaps the new motto for food in our house is something of a life lesson.