The Pandemic Motivation Diaries: Chapter 2 - The home dining effect

Submitted by AS

The pandemic has completely transformed our lives in ways we could never imagine. As we all continue to deal with the uncertainties the pandemic has imposed on us, I thought it would be a good idea to share some Monday motivation blogs. In my previous blog, I talked about the effects of maintaining a clean home to boost your motivation levels. As we continue to adapt to the new normal, a significant part of my 2019 lifestyle that has now phased into nostalgia is restaurant dining. As a food enthusiast who worships, dreams and romanticizes about food all day, I really missed dining in restaurants - the vibrant ambience with delicate piano notes playing in the background; the sight of primly dressed staff marching with trays filled with colorful cocktails and appetizing Hors d’oeuvres; the beautiful embroidered table covers with silverware flocked on each site of the silver plates; the playful family banter from the nearby table that one can’t help overhear. I missed it all. Flash forward to the restaurant scene post March 2020 - all I see now is an infestation of super-spreaders and pathogen carrying bodies unaware of the danger they pose to themselves and people around them. I couldn’t help wonder what part of the dine in experience was hard to replicate in a home setting. Was it break from routine? Ambience? Company? Quality of food? Customer service? I believe it is all of the above. Let’s see how we can incorporate these factors into our home dining experience. Break from routine: This may sound absurd, but try changing into party wear for a date night or weekend dinner at home. Part of the restaurant excitement stems from the act of finally getting rid of work clothes or pajamas and sprucing up for the occasion. Ambiance: Use dim lights, decorate your dining table, present good silverware and candles. Be the boss of your own playlist and DJ your way through the evening. Company: Considering inviting friends or family on zoom video calls for dinner. It’s not possible to share food but you can definitely share the one of a kind experience. Quality of food: This part is the easiest to recreate by ordering some delicious take out food. Some restaurants have adapted well to the pandemic and maintained their quality bar by providing detailed instructions for plating and storing conditions. This may not be applicable to Sushi in most cases. Customer service: This part is the hardest to recreate. I know at least one restaurant Atelier Crenn in San Francisco that provides videos on their website explaining the ingredients, preparation and plating process for each of the dishes on their take out menu. This is as close it gets to restaurant level customer service. Though not impossible, you can come close to recreating the restaurant experience by experimenting around each of the 5 factors that can make the home dine in experience memorable. I now look forward to my Saturday take out meals as I did for my restaurant dine in sessions. The experience may not be the same but there is a lot to cheer about - the drive through the hills with the evening sunset in the background and music in my stereo, the thrill of meticulously plating each dish, the cozy dinner time with family and most importantly the state of dining safely knowing that you are not compromising the safety of others. One can’t complain.