Eating out or cooking at home
By ann101
@ann101 (518)
China
June 10, 2010 9:38pm CST
There was a time I liked eating out very much,it's so convenient,you don't need to buy materials and wash the plates,just take money is ok.But now there are so many reports on the use of drainage oil and healthy eating habits,I've changed my mind gradually and enjoy cooking at home,it's fresh and economic.Take an example,the dish of Sour&Spicy Potato will cost 6 yuan in a small restaurant but 1 yuan is enough cooking at home.
What about you?Do you often go out for dinner?
1 person likes this
18 responses
@AndrewFreyne (6281)
• United Kingdom
11 Jun 10
I remember the days when I used to eat out on a regular basis but those days are over! I guess things were a bit better then financially but it's a very different situation now! I only ever paid a visit to McDonalds or KFC, those two places were my favourite restaurants to eat at.
I guess I favour eating in now especially as I picked up a nice contraption that has had great reviews and that is the George Forman Lean, Mean, Grilling Machine! I like to grill a lot of stuff now and it's a lot cheaper than eating out and it's much healthier too. I don't think I will be getting another take out for a long time, it's good to have a balance as with everything.
I love eating pasta as well, yet another healthy option. I never used to cook but now I do or shall we at least say that I'm experimenting with food! It's quite enjoyable when you get it right and you get a great sense of achievement too! So, that's my story! Andrew
1 person likes this
@ann101 (518)
• China
11 Jun 10
It's really a self-fullfilling experience,Andrew.Cooking can give us the same achievement just as we have finished a task work.I like the feeling to touch the materials and then process them in the form of whatever I want and then cook it in my way.You know,our happiness has not much to do with the money we own.Enjoy the current life,Andrew.
@labea17 (443)
• Philippines
11 Jun 10
Sometimes I would just cook at home because it is healthier, less expensive, and you can cook anything that you want. I only do this when I have the luxury of time and more often than not, my mom cook tasty and delicious Filipino dishes for the whole family. Or when we are too lazy to cook and prepare meals, we will just order like KFC or Pizza Hut and deliver it straight to our house which is more convenient if you do not have the luxury of time.
@ann101 (518)
• China
11 Jun 10
I am lazy too.:)Although I like cooking but it's my mother-in-law who cook for the whole family every day,I only cook on the weekend if i have lots of spare time.How would it be when we became grandma?Do cooking is not difficult,but i am so fear of washing the plates!
@labea17 (443)
• Philippines
11 Jun 10
It's going to be really hard when we become mothers and we have to cook for our husband and children. Haha. I do not really know how to cook a lot of dishes, just the basic ones. Like frying hotdogs, chicken, eggs. But of course I am willing to learn how to cook for my future family.
Why are you afraid to wash the plates, ann101?
@ann101 (518)
• China
11 Jun 10
We usually eat rice and fried dishes in china,so there are always lots of oil stain on the plates,you have to wash them by hot water or simply use liquid detergent.I am sensitive to the liquid detergent and my hands will become so dry and uncomfortable after using it.
If the hard day comes,the first thing i'll do is to buy a dishwasher!Do you have a dishwater in your home or you eating habits are different from us so you don't need to worry about the oil stain?
@Opal26 (17679)
• United States
12 Jun 10
Hey ann! I do like to eat out, but unfortunately I can't afford
to as much as I would like to. So, I have no choice but to
cook and stay home! We are starting to get hot weather here
where I live so the hotter it gets the less I want to cook. I
don't mind cooking in the Winter because I love cooking and it
helps warm the house. But, in the Summertime, it isn't any fun
so I have to look for things to make that is quick and easy
and won't make the house any hotter than it already is!
@ann101 (518)
• China
12 Jun 10
We'll lose appetite in the hot summer days ,so you can make some cold dishes or salards which are quick and easy to do,or you can just buy some cold dishes at the food market which are not expensive comparing to eating out.I like Cold Cucumber with Garlic very much and the weather here is also becoming hot too.
@smallsaozhou (827)
• China
11 Jun 10
I think it is sometimes decided by my emotion and occasion.Perhaps I am too tired to prepare for supper then I will go to a restaurant with my parents or friends.That is exactly convenient.It is also possible that I want to eat some specialties that I can't do by myself ,so I go to some resraurants to enjoy them.Whatever,I don't think these two choices are paradoxical each other.For me and many people around,mainly we eat at home and occasionally we choose going out.Each style has its own merit.
@smallsaozhou (827)
• China
11 Jun 10
Just some easy dishes......:P I am making efforts to learn some more delicious dishes.Believe me, there will be a great cook in my family!:P
@Ruby722 (796)
• China
12 Jun 10
Yes I totally agree with you.In China especially the small restaurant They recycle the drainage oil and use it cook dish for us.Just thinking about that.I am sick of it.Since i read the report about how much drainage chinese people can eat in a year.I never been to the samll restaurant again.Let's get together and refuse drainage oil.
@mbtshoes2010 (22)
• China
12 Jun 10
yeah,cook by ourselves is healthy and we can cook what we like.And it is convenient,inexpensive.It could save a lot of money.
@coolcrux1 (141)
• India
11 Jun 10
There are so many people now avoiding to eat out because of the issue of hygiene. Even I can't take more than two to three meals outside. It is very essential to know a person that what is he/she eating. I can work a bit rather.
@bryanwmc (1051)
• Malaysia
11 Jun 10
Many of us seem to take it for granted eating out because it is so cheap n accessible to us in Asean region.Hawkers selling cheap food everywhere,but places like Japan or US it is an expensive event.Eating out. For us in Malaysia it can be cheaper than cooking at home,i live in a apartment where food courts are like 5 minutes away so unless busy most times we just go and have dinner there,
@rajputsushil (80)
•
12 Jun 10
well it is a gud question, definitely cooking in home is always a better solution, but for change you need to go out and taste something different which u cant make ;) , eating outside always wont let your digestion always better, so give rest to your stomach and your money.
@ann101 (518)
• China
12 Jun 10
Every time if we find a good dish when eating out,we'll remember the dish name and then search the method of cooking online.You know what to do next,we'll cook the dish as the method by ourselves!Sometimes the taste is well and sometimes not,but both are happy experiences.
@jinjer168 (1596)
• Philippines
11 Jun 10
Hello ann101! I enjoyed dining out together with my family because of its convenience. You just go to whatever fastfood or restaurant that suits your cravings and then after eating, you can leave at once without minding of cleaning the dishes etc. just pay your bill of course after wards. Dining out was okay too because for a change, you will have to eat special dishes done by good cooks/chefs. But dining out was much expensive than cooking something at home. By preparing my food at home, i could calculate my budget, i know that my food was clean, and our food will be less expensive compared to dining out somewhere.
We frequently eat outside before, but now, i'll just prepare and plan our meal earlier so we could save a lot and expect for much nutritious meal. Good luck!
@chirag2006 (123)
• China
11 Jun 10
i think both r goods but on different occasion if u r cooking so often at house some time u get tired of cooking sometime if u r so often eating outside so u get tired of eating outside so u need balance in both eating outside and eat at home
unsafe & expensive
Cooking at home: safe & cheap but toilful
I prefer cooking at home because I'm a proletariat if possible.
But I'm a student now, a dish of Sour & Spicy potato in our canteen cost only RMB 0.75 yuan.
@cwatkins (15)
•
11 Jun 10
I must admit that i like to eat out every now and again. But nothing beats a home cooked meal. After a long day at work, being able to stop at a fast food place and pick up something to eat is always convient but is can also get boring eating the same fast food. On the other hand, having a home cooked, you can mix it up and have what you want and how you want it.
@ann101 (518)
• China
11 Jun 10
I often eat noodles outside in the sunday morning.My husband's home is in the south of china and they prefer rice and me-as a northerner loves wheaten food very much.I have tried to cook noodles at home,but the whole family were eating rice and only me with noodles,I could not find the happy of eating at all.So while in Rome,I'd better do as the romans do.It has become a really enjoyable thing on the weekend to eat noodles outside.
@apoorva5 (120)
• India
11 Jun 10
its true what u said .its not about money that its cost much having dinner outside than from home but also its hygenic if we eat at home .we will see that our family have good health .if u dont have time prepare food which will take less time.
@to_the_point (30)
• United States
11 Jun 10
Eating out is convient however there are downsides to eating the quick and delicious prepared meals. Most likely, eating home is alot more healthier. Most fast food contain high amounts of sugar, calories, and displeasurable oils like hydronated oil. Sure it's nice to not wash any dishes or prepare meals because of the option to eat out, but you gotta look at the healthy side of it and how it will effect your health on the long term. If you love to eat out, it's best to at least balance out the number of times you eat out and prepare meals at home. Usually it's cheaper to cook at home because you can buy certain foods at large quantities for a lower price. But it all depends. I usually eat out because I really don't have the interest in making food because fast food is right there! But the downside is, fast food does eat my wallet lol!
@ann101 (518)
• China
11 Jun 10
Haha,it's a conflict between convenient and wallet!Put health aside,you should balance your wallet at first,my friend.If not much money,then do cooking at home,if the opposite then eating outside.:)
I cannot use mylot code as they say i haven't reached the rank of 200,so I can only use:)or :(. It's really :(
@0r3nj1p1ll0w (4)
• Brazil
11 Jun 10
i do both. when i'm not feeling well i'd rather stay home and cook for myself.
but i do enjoy eating out with my friends at night...
when i was young i didn't stand doing dishes, but nowadays i find it a very peaceful activity while i listen to my podcasts and have lots of laughs.
but all in all, i guess eating out is not that expensive and sometimes it's worth my time eating out rather than spending time in the kitchen. but cooking is also a therapy and when i feel like it, i'd invite my friends over to eat.
