Rashmi Oberoi rips into the obsession for dieting, the hypocrisy behind it and concludes that diets are passé. They do more harm than good in the long run as most diets are anything but steady. Her verdict: Exercise, not diet, and be healthy.
I hardly ever attend these glitzy parties that Delhi is so famous for… In fact, I stay miles away from them as I stick out like a sore thumb in such situations. I couldn’t get out of attending a recent lunch party, and that was undeniably a great revelation for me. I was educated on a fact that I was clueless about… That mostly everyone present was on a diet!! And as the minutes unfolded, I noticed people sipping water in wine glasses, slurping ‘Diet’ drinks by the gallons and knocking back soda and lime-juice like there was no tomorrow!
And then much later I noticed little pouches filled with cut pieces of fruit mysteriously appearing that had been hidden in designer handbags and purses… No, the pouches were not designer – just regular ones for both my friend and I got as close to the plastic pouch as we could to do an in-depth study. We exchanged glances every few minutes and controlled the guffaws building up inside.
Contrary to the starving ones present, we had a good time and ate and drank to our heart’s content. But the hostess was not a happy one at all… And rightly so don’t you think? I think it is highly rude to carry your fads to parties.
Entertaining is mostly fun and invigorating but can also turn out to be a bane for some… It’s true, no matter how many people you call at home for cocktails or a meal, you invariably end up going to great lengths and at times even out of your way to ensure that you are a good host. It could be just one guest or it could be a dozen, the effort that goes in is much the same. Starting with the rituals of cleaning, dusting, tidying the house…then moving into the kitchen where the menu fixed gets into ‘action stations’ with chopping, grinding, marinating, cooking and finally decorating the fare and then moving on to the art of laying the table…the right cutlery, crockery, linen etc.
Table-setting is another art form that involves the right cutlery and crockery which works in accordance as per the menu. It’s often the ‘silver-ware’ used and the centrepiece that sets it apart from all other decorations. Exquisite placemats, doilies and fine linen add to the ‘eye candy’.
A well-planned menu that boasts of a richness of flavours, a balance of essences and spices, authentic gourmet delights and not just a ‘run-of-the-mill’ kind of dishes is always a hit. You don’t need a millionaire’s income to prepare a delicious meal and also enjoy the fruits of your labour. The icing on the cake of course is the dessert that can either make or break your repast. No matter how much you may have over-eaten there will always be place for pudding!
The flip side to entertaining is of course dealing with messy, obnoxious guests who at times outstay the warm welcome extended, the ones that don’t turn up at all having accepted or the ones mentioned above who are on a perpetual diet… Shocking and unfathomable but it is absolutely true. And last but not the least, the crux of dining etiquette is to… Well eat what your host and hostess have prepared for you.
Now here are some golden words: Diets are passé… They do more harm than good in the long run. They are counter-productive and most diets are anything but steady. They are merely short-term excursions from our everyday lives. Here in lies the problem, the connotation behind the word diet – the quick fix and the fact that none of them truly work and have catastrophic effects on your skin, your body and mental well-being. Your dieting cycle can lead to high-risk disorders, malnutrition, impaired quality of life and well-being, bone diseases, anaemia, metabolic abnormalities, hormone deficiencies and heart problems. This is literally straight from the horse’s mouth… A doctor’s wife passing on these gems. So be wise – exercise not diet and eat healthy.
À VOTRE SANTÉ… To your health!