Why we love Fast food

Though health experts warn of the risks associated with processed food products, an increasing number of urban families are relying on instant and easy-to-prepare meals instead of cooking from scratch at home.

According to a recent survey by the Association of Chamber of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham), 82% of the workforce from metro cities prefer packaged food: baked items, canned/dried processed food, frozen processed food, ready-to-eat meals, dairy products, diet snacks, processed meat, and health products and drinks.

The survey, conducted across 2,000 households in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore and other Tier-A cities, shows that ready-to-eat food is preferred by nuclear families where both husband and wife are working professionals, bachelors who want to avoid eating out, and people who do not have the time, patience or skills to cook at home.

Kitchens across cities now function differently, thanks to the breakdown of the joint family system, hectic work lives and the easy availability of processed foods on local supermarket shelves.

Elaborate versus easy-to-cook
It comes as no surprise then that traditional Indian dishes have given way to easy-to-prepare items that offer variety and are relished by fussy youngsters who are being increasingly brought up on a diet of burgers and pizzas.

“I rarely make idlis or dosas at home now since both my sons want noodles, bread-butter or pav bhaji for breakfast. They don’t carry tiffins to college and prefer eating in the canteen instead,” says school teacher Kumud Iyer, 45.

The arrangement suits Iyer too since she has to leave for work early in the morning and does not have much time to cook. She adds that dinner mostly consists of simple roti sabzi instead of elaborate South Indian recipes which she only prepares on weekends or when she has family members visiting.

As kitchens in most homes are still the woman’s domain, the type of meals that are served out of them is directly related to the amount of time that women have on their hands. While homemakers have the luxury of dishing out a varied and nutritious menu for their families every day, working women are increasingly relying on packaged or easy-to-cook meals for daily sustenance during the work week.

Alka Singh, a 25-year-old Vikhroli resident who runs a candle-making business while managing a home and two children, says, “I prepare tiffin for my husband who has to leave for office by 7am. Then I finish all the household chores and leave for work,” she says, adding that she has to take her two young kids to office with her every day since there is no one at home to look after them.

By the time Singh comes home, it is already well past the family’s dinner time. “After a long day, I have neither the energy nor the inclination to spend hours in the kitchen at night. So I order rotis and bhaji from a nearby restaurant almost every other day,” she says.

Her elder son has a preference for chips, noodles, chaklis and biscuits as snacks and Singh admits that she realises the consequences that consuming such junk food can have on his health. “Unfortunately, he likes these snacks better that the traditional roti-sabzi meal which he sometimes refuses to eat,” she says.

Street food comes home
Meanwhile, fast food staples like pani puri, vada pav and pav bhaji are increasingly becoming dinner table meals in Mumbai homes since they are relatively easy to dish out and enjoyed by young and old alike. 

Supriya Nare, 39, who works as an accountant, also has no time to prepare breakfast as she has to leave for work by 8.30am. “We have instant noodles for breakfast three or four days a week since our son enjoys it. Dinner is anything from paani puri to pizza,” she says. While stating that Sunday lunch is elaborate and includes non-vegetarian items, Nare’s husband Uday adds, “But I don’t think it’s fair to expect her to cook again on Sunday evening after a hectic week. So to give her some time off from the kitchen and to spend quality time with our son, we eat out.”

Helping hands lighten the load
Bank executive Neha Shah, 32, feels that those who can “find or afford domestic help to cook and clean for them are lucky since an additional hand in the kitchen means home-cooked meals instead of relying on packaged food or eating out.”

Shah, who lives in Mahim, has hired a part-time cook for preparing breakfast and dinner on weekdays, while on weekends she and her husband cook simple meals or eat out with their toddler. 

“Things run smoothly in households where husbands share the chores as compared to families in which women have high-stress jobs and at the same time have to single-handedly shoulder the responsibility of running the home,” says 28-year-old BPO employee Rihana Kazmi. Since both Rihana and her husband Naeem work in shifts, they take turns cooking and cleaning.

“Whoever is doing the morning shift makes breakfast while the other takes care of dinner. Similarly, we also share other chores like cleaning dishes or shopping for groceries,” she adds.