During the course of my doctoral studies, I traveled a lot. Stayed in numerous hostels where I cooked for myself. In the last few years I have traveled a great deal and in all that time I have learned so much about food, tasted a lot of it, cooked and baked like mad person and tried to be excellent in both research work and cooking.
My aim has always been to get better and keep learning. Over the years, I’ve transitioned from preparing meals in my adorable kitchen at home for myself and friends to eating in upscale eateries.
We must eat to stay alive.
It’s true that there is food on our planet to feed and sustain both humans and other animals. It should satiate my taste receptors and fulfill a physiological demand for me. But what occurred was that throughout these years, we elevated food to a whole new level, and it has been quite difficult to reverse that trend.
Gourmet food is not bad.
Don’t misread me. I don’t despise fancy food. This is not an act of defiance against its conception or reality. Food and how we use it have evolved along with human evolution. A gourmet meal requires skill. Despite my admiration for this type of art and its makers because it is stunning and imaginative, I can’t help but feel that food is also gradually losing its function and significance along the road.
I occasionally worked late while conducting research and was unable to prepare meals for myself. I visited many inexpensive eateries in addition to upscale establishments where you could eat contemporary food.
When food became a business opportunity, every restaurant owner strove to continue coming up with insane and innovative new ways to attract consumers. Food has undergone so many changes that sometimes it is no longer recognizable.
For instance, as a lover of dosa, I would prefer to eat a plain dosa with green chutney and potato curry, but nowadays, high-end restaurants sell neer dosa (rice crepes) for 150 Rs., so is it worthwhile to try?
Only one of the numerous factors that influence the pricing of pricey restaurants is the cuisine. You might be able to appreciate the furnishings, how lovely the cuisine looks, how luxurious and comfortable the seating is, etc.
The Red Ginger
Carlito’s By The sea
Do I believe that upscale dining is overrated?
Depends, but occasionally, unquestionably yes
Yes, it’s wonderful to eat in a fine restaurant while someone else prepares the meal and cleans up after you. But not when you must pay a mortgage in order to get just three tiny (as possible) dosa with prawn curry.
Yes, you can call me a pagan, but I prefer hot, filling cuisine. Don’t anticipate having an English-language conversation with me while I’m eating. Unless your discussions make me incredibly wealthy, that is.
I can assure you that I will appreciate my South Indian pulao, which costs 25 rupees, far more than you will enjoy your gourmet dinner every day of the week. I’ve dined in establishments where a South Indian dosa was 200Rs. In all honesty, the food was not much better than a decent plate of biryani that could have easily served three people for a smaller price.
Sometimes, reasonably priced bistros or pubs may serve up some genuinely delectable dishes made with super-fresh ingredients. Although they will have the standard menu, I like to eat from it when I’m extremely hungry and trying to satiate my taste senses.
I have nothing against upscale restaurants or the people who enjoy them, but I have had experiences where I once placed an order for food from the Comida DoubleTree by Hilton Goa and posted a review on Swiggy saying the food was bad. They immediately reacted to that review, apologizing for the food and promising that it wouldn’t happen again in the future. And I even have had experience where a tiny, less well-known however upscale restaurant chef/owner treated me unfairly based on appearance and won’t accept a simple review of their food before barring me from returning, while many small restaurants appreciate the feedback and work to improve.
I don’t want to pay for ambiance or for a superior waiter to act like I am an honored guest, to put it bluntly. Just bring out something delectable so I can remember it for the next time I desire a tasty dinner. Therefore, I consider a restaurant that is excessively pretentious to be a warning that the food is probably not all that wonderful. Yes, there are exceptions, but only in cases where a restaurant regularly has months-long waiting lines.
Despite the fact that I lack formal training as a chef and only started to cook out of need, all of my best meals have been prepared at home. I eat it hot since that is when it tastes the finest because I am not supposed to eat with politeness or etiquette.
Mickey’s Colva
A restaurant serving food from many different cuisines at a low cost. My favorite dining establishment in Goa is this one.
