Coronavirus has put a complete stop to eating from outside. Eating out on Saturdays or ordering on Mondays has come to a still, and individuals are now dependent on home-cooked food. In these times, indulgent and nostalgic comforts foods have come to the rescue of many people.
Comfort food can be anything and is a personal choice, whatever that provides satisfaction and can feed one's craving. These comfort foods don't necessarily need to be healthy; in fact, most of them aren't. "The lockdown has been stressful. Maggi became my comfort food because it was easy to make and always accessible. Times are tough, and it's tougher to follow a healthy, well-planned diet as I'm restricted to eating whatever is available in the house." shares Manya Sachdeva, 21, a Fashion Media Communication student at Pearl Academy, Delhi.
Ready-to-eat meals and instant noodles were seen to be taking off the racks in general stores, with their deals soaring in the first month of the lockdown. According to Manoj Bansal, manager at Modern Bazaar, a grocery store in Punjabi Bagh, Delhi, "When rumors started spreading about the first lockdown, customers hoarded our store to stock groceries. Besides bare essentials, Maggi and frozen fast food like momos, nuggets, and fries were sold the most."
On May 19, Nestlé India chairman and managing director Suresh Narayanan during an online media roundtable, said the company observed a 10.7% increase in domestic sales amounting to `3,124.2 crore for the March quarter. The January-March quarter recorded the best quarterly sales growth in almost five years globally for the company, as consumers stocked up on packaged food products, Narayanan said. He further added demand for items like Maggi noodles, coffee, Milkmaid condensed milk, KitKat, and Munch chocolates surged during this period. "There has been a lot of interest in our brands because in-home consumption has gone up," he said, adding that pantry-loading would increase in the future with a rise in in-home consumption of foods.
Quick food hacks and recipes circulating on social media have resulted in people developing new comforting foods. Individuals who've either made debuts in their kitchen or explored the inner chef resided in them during lockdown are now trending on Instagram as 'Quarantine chefs.' From celebrities to layman, everyone has been posting and flaunting their cooking skills on Instagram. "I love Banana bread, and I always used to get it from a bakery near my house before the pandemic. Post the lockdown announcement, I was craving for banana bread, but couldn't order since everything was shut. To my surprise, I found out the banana bread is super easy to make. It's been eight months now, and I'm glad I'm not dependent on anyone to bring me my comfort food." describes Neha Rana, 28, an entrepreneur based in Delhi.
Comfort food also carries a different meaning for those who have returned to their homes due to the lockdown—especially students studying outside their hometowns. According to a survey conducted on Instagram, 16 out of 30 individuals aged 18-23 years old stated 'Rajma Chawal' as their comfort food. On further research, 10 out of those 16 students lived in hostels and have come back to their homes because of the pandemic. "Mom's Rajma Chawal cannot be replaced by any other food for me when it comes to comfort food. For me, comfort food is all about love and the feeling of home. All this while, I knew I could ask my mom to make it for me anytime, unlike in New York, where no pizza could fulfill my craving for home-cooked food." shares Sonalika Grover, 20, a food blogger and a Fashion Business student at The New School, Parsons, New York.
In these challenging times, people have found their source of comfort to divert themselves from the pandemic. From nostalgic recipes to reminisce childhood to learning new ones, food has served happiness, comfort, and security to most households. Staying indoors is difficult; however, the pandemic has also given people the gift of time to fulfill their cravings, work on themselves, and reunite with families. Thus, let's stay home, stay safe, and get through this phase with our comfort foods on the side!
