Here in Australia, as well as elsewhere in the world, the pandemic brought changes to our daily routines.
As we struggled with the strangeness of it all, it was also a time for making creative changes to routines that now were anything but routine. How we shopped for food and dealt with meal making was one routine that merited change. Entering a supermarket was a potential super spreader event, and restaurants were either closed or only doing takeaway. What were our choices? We decided to try a meal kit delivery service that brought recipes and fresh ingredients to our door. A meal kit delivery service would not only reduce our potential Covid exposure, but also reduce carbon emissions by eliminating trips to the grocery store. My sister Ellen researched the possible options, and I got her and a chef’s recommendation to try Marley Spoon. It was exciting to think that despite the pandemic’s physical limitations, we could embark on a new culinary adventure. It not only felt like a luxurious option, but it also helped solve one pandemic conundrum.
Each week, we tried three new recipes. There were Asian and South American inspired recipes and a host of vegetarian options. To stay on the safe side, they also offer more traditional British fare with meat pies and meat and two veg. The continuing appeal for me was that I got to cook new recipes each week, which made me feel like we were regularly visiting a restaurant in our own home. Some recipes were better than others, but this was to be expected. It was also fun to compare menus with my sister overseas who also has Marley Spoon delivered. I grizzle that she gets more Mexican inspired recipes, and she complains that her menu has no lamb dishes.
As the pandemic becomes (hopefully) a distant memory, we are now less reliant on a meal kit delivery service. But such a service still offers a great alternative to grocery shopping and meals out. Plus, it feels like I am attending a continuing culinary education course, and my cooking skills have definitely improved. I am also more relaxed in the kitchen and wiser about the amount of ingredients that I need to make a meal. Another bonus of a meal kit delivery service is that there is no waste. There is just enough of each ingredient to make the meal. This is a very satisfying when you consider the amount of food waste in this country. Recent statistics report that 7.6 million tons of food is wasted in Australia annually. (I looked that up!)
Marley Spoon helped to pandemic proof our lives and moved us into new directions. For me, it was a small act of optimism, as we pushed against the boundaries of the unseen contagion. I was going to continue to learn, continue to be connected to the wider world and experience new things without leaving home.
