The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Working women prefer to eat out

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 02, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Working women prefer to eat out

By Afshan Yasmeen

People enjoying a meal at an eatery in Bangalore. — Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.

BANGALORE, MAY 1. Jaya Praveen is a busy woman. Juggling her teaching job and family is a daily affair. And Ms. Praveen gets no time to cook breakfast and prefers eating out.

"It is only during holidays that I cook elaborate meals for my family, otherwise I prefer eating out or ordering something home," she says. Bangalore is home to thousands like her.

These working women with families are the newest admirers of the city's ubiquitous "darshini" hotels. Not just for themselves, but for their families too. In fact, some eat all three meals at some restaurant or the other. But this is not just in the case of families with working couples. Even housewives do the same.

Old Bangaloreans point out that it is not because families earn more now but because of the change in attitude.

G. Dhanalakshmi, a housewife, and her grandmother, Vasanthalakshmi, think this is because Indian society is now more encouraging of working women now. "Women are not into cooking anymore. They like to sit and watch the wealth, jewellery, and clothes of women in TV serials," Ms. Vasanthalakshmi says.

"In the past, girls were never sent to school as they would have to walk for hours. Now, girls are more fearless and go out alone," she says.

Anita Swamy, an entrepreneur in Wilson Garden, does not mind cooking for her family but likes to eat out. "My husband and daughter like the food that I don't like. I don't want to cook just for myself. And I don't want the hassle of a lunch box, because I travel a lot," she explains.

Love different food

Some women said they liked to eat out and experiment with different cuisine. Y.K. Sandhya and R.Usha, Government employees, say they like variety in their food. "We both have 10 to 5 jobs and because of the morning rush at home we usually end up having lunch from a `darshini' near the office," says Ms. Usha.

But there are people like K.N. Anuradha, a lecturer in a private polytechnic college on Nagarbhavi Road, who eats out very rarely.

This mother of two is concerned about their diet and nutrition intake. Sarala Kumari, a government employee, agrees. "Eating out occasionally is fine, but we don't know how clean these places are," she points out.

According to the Nutrition Information Counselling and Health Education (NICHE), a voluntary organisation, working women need to eat at least two fruits, two to three vegetables, six servings of grain products, and two to three servings of milk products, every day.

NICHE (www.niche4nutrition.com) adds that women must eat five times a day - "three meals and two snacks."

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