Restaurant and Home Food

Restaurant Food – Home Cooked Food


The History of Western Restaurants in two sentences!

1. The word ‘Restaurant’ comes from RESTORE for the restoring soup sold to people in the 17th century.
2. The French Revolution meant the highly trained chefs from aristocratic households were looking for new ways to make a living – they became restaurant chefs.

There is a long Chinese and Islamic tradition of bought meals, and a world history of food provision for travelers and of communal cooking traditions for villages, tribes and in towns every where.

In my community, and in modern communities all over the world, a restaurant meal has particular connotations. It is a special event, with an atmosphere and a level of service, presentation and finesse.

There are new things to try: produce, techniques, combinations you have never tried before, and maybe could never replicate at home.

It is a particular treat for those who usually cook: no preparation, no cooking and serving, no washing up!

At its best, a restaurant is a wonderful, never to be forgotten experience.

But they can let you down. You have to invest time, energy and money getting there (and getting home again) and if the service, the meal, or how well your special needs are catered for, is a disappointment, the evening can be a disaster.

Home meals, in contrast, are less formal; there is personal control over ingredients and preparation which is especially important for health needs. Favourite meals are (usually) tried and true, and the cook can educate and train growing children as she (or he) goes.

The attributes of the great home cook are similar to a restaurant manger/chef as they range from clever budgeting, inspired shopping, ingenuity, organization, psychology and prudent management, and knowing just what will please your family/clients.

In both places the aim is for great food, great atmosphere and great memories.

But for restaurants the bottom line has to be the business needs of enticing customers. At home, the bottom line is to promote and sustain a healthy family through nourishment, training and education.

O dear, home just doesn’t sound as enticing! And the Yamdaisy café is in the arena of the home cook. The food has to promote and sustain a healthy community.

And to make it worse, all the fears about bad restaurant experiences are easy to lock onto a small restaurant on a low budget using everyday ingredients: the cutting corners, losing the spark, the falling standards.

Oh YamDaisy, how will you convince?

Well, this is the challenge!

And this challenge emphasizes the importance that must be placed on the deliciousness of YamDaisy meals. It is important that the YamDaisy culture is not just about helping people who can struggle, and providing low cost meals, but about food and atmosphere that is focused on deliciousness, pleasure and heart.

There are no clear lines between restaurant meals and home meals, and YD café has to carve out its own niche. That niche is just a little way up the road from the home door.

More information about YamDaisy Cafes is at http://home.vicnet.net.au/~yamdaisy