On 11th March 2020, The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic. Since then, the virus has leashed havoc on our lives. We had to adjust to the new ways of living, from bathing in sanitizers to wearing a mask whenever we go out and learning to maintain social distance. Initially, we thought this is temporary and things will go back to normal soon, but who were we kidding? As I write this article after over a year, I am still wearing a mask, I have a small bottle of hand sanitizer with me, and I still have inhibitions before stepping out of the house.
Adjusting to a new lifestyle did not stop with use of sanitizers and masks. These were the easiest changes that we had to introduce in our lives. When the government declared nationwide lockdown, a new phase of life began "Work from Home". As enticing as it seemed at the beginning, it went on to be equally excruciating with time. I'm sure you must have read the meme which says, "it's not work from home anymore, it's home from work".
With this being the new normal, boundaries were blurred, routines were disrupted, and new habits were formed. A significant hit was taken by our eating habits throughout the day. Have a meeting at 9 o'clock in the morning? Well, you know that you could just attend it while sitting in your bed, so why get into the hassle of waking up early? This took a massive hit on our routine. So, when people did not have time to squeeze lemon in their water, they did manage to squeeze some time between their meetings to have that scrumptious first meal of the day.
The combination of WFH and increasing popularity of food delivery apps, such as Zomato and Swiggy, made people take "all-day breakfast" in the literal sense. Craving some English breakfast? Those savory and saucy baked beans, creamy scrambled eggs and some sausages and hash browns? Let me just scroll Zomato and see where I can find it. This pandemic forced a lot of restaurants and cafés to go online and start home deliveries. It was the most essential step they had to take to survive. But this opened a plethora of options for people like me. Soon, I realized that all my favorite places were delivering food at my doorstep. Many new kitchens were opening up simultaneously, which were committed to provide the best food possible. So life became a little easy, and we could see a new ray of hope.
When people were done with their cooking sprees and were assured that it is safe to order food from outside again, they felt like they were attending a buffet, but only virtually. Not only lunch and dinner, but breakfast options also started appealing the foodies. With no time to think about what to cook for breakfast, they started looking for options online. With just one click, they could get some of the best breakfast options such as bagels, omelettes, and so much more.
The focus shifted towards gourmet breakfast and options that are not time-bound. People love a good breakfast, but this love was even more enhanced when it was available all day! Fancy omelettes like spinach and mushroom omelette, mushroom and cheese omelette, chicken ham and bacon omelette, which you might have only eaten in a fancy five-star restaurant, could now be delivered at your house, that too anytime! Not just omelettes, if we widen our horizon, we can find bagels as well. Wait, what? Bagels? Really? That too delivered at our homes! Yes, you read it right. With the growing influence of the West, bagels might be the best thing we got familiar with. Numerous bagel variations can be found, from the classic bagel with cream cheese to mushroom, spinach and corn bagel and what not, all excellent breakfast options that are filling and tasty. Can the universe be more giving? Well, I don't think so.
So, work from home might not have proven to be such a bad thing after all. With chasing deadlines and completing targets, it can be very easy to neglect food altogether. But advancement in technology and the availability of resources made it easier for us. With one click, we can order whatever we want, whenever we want and, with so many customisation options available I might just add, however we want our food to be. With this, I think I'm done with my work and hungry again, so I'm going to go and order some delicious breakfast because the urge is never-ending.
