Amid an algorithmic onslaught of hardening transactions between people proliferating human interaction, an odd yet heartening phenomena have just begun to simmer in kitchens worldwide: sundry resurrections and reinventions of supper clubs.
No longer rarefied confines of aristocrat drawing rooms or clandestine circles of bohemia, these new-age manifestations turn homes into hallowed halls of hospitality where gourmet food meets genuine conversation.
At its most basic and sublimely unobtrusive, this reemerging trend sees individuals often wielding nothing more than a passion for food and great company opening up their living rooms to all sorts of curated gastronomic encounters with strangers. Yet, unlike the more casual ilk, this modern reincarnation now seems to have gone commercial-to-the-extent-where-admission-into-the-dinner-program-is-charged.
Guests pay their way of course, but not just for the meal: they pay for the entire experience, in which taste, togetherness, and in some cases cultural immersion all merge into one.
Keep this in contemplation: through platforms such as Eatwith, BonAppetour, and the like, these sort of internet agoras for the gastronomically inclined, home chefs and cooks from Bangkok to Barcelona are welcoming diners from across the globe. One set of them in a London flat hosts Syrian feasts while another offers Bengali bhog in Brooklyn.
One might easily be forgiven for thinking these affairs are mere culinary cosplay. These are, in fact, emerging nodes of a decentralised, experience-driven economy whose currency is authenticity and whose product is participation.
Why this bloom today?
The reasons are as diverse as the menus on offer. There is atomisation and desire born out of a longing for human connection in the post-pandemic era; restaurants impersonating commodification, using QR codes and robots for serving, have put the idea of a warm, home-cooked meal on a slant; and then, there's just that economic thing.
Inflation has become an unspeakable danger to hard-earned money; while food has become a hazard in itself. With restaurant costs inflating at a speed that stuns any conscience—8.5% in 2023 in the U.S.—paying $40 or $60 for a big, multi-course meal in a setting free from corporate sterilisation sounds not just appealing but acceptable economically.
Long relegated to the private realm, the home is making a comeback as a venue for cultural exchange, public interaction, and yes, profitable business. Both the senses and the soul are stirred by this phenomenon.
Perhaps it is only fitting that salvation occurs around a candlelit table, where strangers become friends over curry, couscous, or coq au vin, rather than in the sterile fluorescence of commercial establishments, in a world that is raging for connection.
Leave the eateries alone. It appears that the revolution will be supported from home.
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