By Asma Khatoon
Cooking is an essential life skill, never quite cut through to me before these few months. It was almost as if another life began for me during the Corona lockdown.
The virus came into my life on a March afternoon. Wrapped in an app alert, it reached the gates of my adjacent society. The RWA (Residents Welfare Association) of mine sprung into action. The first casualties of this pandemic were those delivery boys. The gates of my society were locked. We were told only essentials will be delivered. But for a person whose kitchen has never seen more cooking than bread being toasted, what does that word 'essential' even mean? I found out, with a heavy heart, that it did not involve takeaway food.
Takeaway food, that came riding pillion on a bike and was delivered with the occasional smile, had come to be my sustenance in this big city. Zomato, Uber Eats, Swiggy, Foodpanda. The delivery apps were many. They all had one thing in common: the gift of choice. Cuisines, dishes, so much to choose from.