To cancel the food delivery

[MonkeyBirdy]

I live overseas and we have this thing here where you can get your dinner delivered every day. So around 4pm a guy arrives on a motorbike with a tiffin box of food for me. I get three dishes per day - one meat, one vegetable and one random which will be either tofu, fish, egg, something like that. It's mostly Indian/Chinese style food. It's home cooked and very cost effective, I don't think I could do the same for cheaper. It's obviously also really convenient.

But lately the food has changed and the woman who organises it confirmed she'd hired a chef whereas before she used to cook herself. The food is now saltier and not so nice tasting plus the proportion of spicy dishes has gone way up which I'm not a fan of. The variety of dishes is reduced as well, it feels like we're getting the same thing over and over again. Doesn't help that I'm just out of the first trimester and I kind of associate it with feeling rough as I really couldn't eat much of it when pregnant. Unfortunate that the change in chef coincided with that first trimester.

DH is all for just carrying on as we are because he still likes the food (he didn't notice the chef had changed plus he really likes spicy food anyway). But I'm so tempted to cancel. Would I be mad to? I haven't cooked regularly since I moved overseas 6 years ago and we've got an 18 month old...I'm just so sick of eating it every day!

That sounds amazing!

But it's obviously not working for you any more. Also, what is your DC eating? I'd imagine the extra salt and spice might be an issue there?

I think I'd either approach the neighbours, and ask if they noticed the change, tell them you're not so keen, and ask if they know any other providers that maybe their family or friends use that are more like yours used to be?
Alternatively, if it's like everyone in a particular area uses the same provider and there's no choice, then contact the lady running it and tell her you aren't so keen on the chef's food, and ask if she is still cooking at all or if there's anything she can do to help.

Yes you could cook for yourself, of course you could, but if it's cheaper and easier to buy it in why would you! The only reason I would is if there really was no alternative to the spicy/salty option, I wouldn't want to be paying for food I didn't like.

There must be other services so try one of them instead

DD sometimes has a bit of whatever we've been sent if it's something she'd like. She normally has her own food that I make for her though.

In general, I prefer the taste of my own food to takeaways and eating out. I do however like to enjoy times where I don't need to cook or DH doesn't need to clear up, so that's what I enjoy about takeaway food.

We don't do it often but I'm okay with it not being as good as we don't do it often and it's not bad, just not as good as my own.

In your circumstances I do think it's a dilemma. I'd try going back again to the supplier saying you want to reduce days because you feel the menu is too repetitive and it's too salty/spicy to be eating everyday.

Then you could see how easy it is to get ingredients and cook yourself and also to see if you enjoy it.

Are you able to order 1 off takeaways from other places ad hoc?

@ElephantOfRisk

In general, I prefer the taste of my own food to takeaways and eating out. I do however like to enjoy times where I don't need to cook or DH doesn't need to clear up, so that's what I enjoy about takeaway food.

We don't do it often but I'm okay with it not being as good as we don't do it often and it's not bad, just not as good as my own.

In your circumstances I do think it's a dilemma. I'd try going back again to the supplier saying you want to reduce days because you feel the menu is too repetitive and it's too salty/spicy to be eating everyday.

Then you could see how easy it is to get ingredients and cook yourself and also to see if you enjoy it.

Are you able to order 1 off takeaways from other places ad hoc?

Yeah, I think reducing the days is a good middle ground. Takeaways are an option but they're quite different to this home cooked style food so not a great alternative.

Aside from the possible risk of hygiene issues of such low cost food, if it’s too salty why don’t you cook yourself? Or If you’re in an Asian country surely live in help is cheap enough and fairly easy to come by?

Food is one of life's pleasures. I would rather eat nice toast and cheese and an apple that I had to plate up myself than unpleasant food someone else has cooked.

Can you get it alternate days?
I love cooking but it can get dull if you have to do it all the time.

Find an alternative, or cook for yourself and let DH carry on.

From my experience this is more of an office delivery lunch than an evening meal every day though, assuming you are where, Asia or India, there must be loads of places that you can chose to get to to get similar priced food, just not delivered but then you get the choice.

@idontlikealdi

Find an alternative, or cook for yourself and let DH carry on.

From my experience this is more of an office delivery lunch than an evening meal every day though, assuming you are where, Asia or India, there must be loads of places that you can chose to get to to get similar priced food, just not delivered but then you get the choice.

No, it's an evening meal. You wouldn't eat this kind of food at lunch.

Live in help is not cheap or easy to come by in covid times plus I don't really want live in help tbh.

YANBU. I really want to know where you are now! Could you learn to cook local style and shop in markets for food? Then it wouldn't be expensive (and would probably be nicer).

I still pay for it because it's cheap and very convenient. The hygiene aspect doesn't concern me.

Whow! And you are pregnant!

Can you make a vat of plain lentils or rice and mix it in to your portion with some vegetable stock? That would smooth out the spice level and DHs would stay the same.

This is highly common in the developing world - where the enormity of population density leads to services being super cheap. India comes to mind (From experience). OP - people in the UK wont understand this - as these things would be premium/first world luxuries here.

Cancel it. choose something else.

You could speak to the woman to see if you could get dishes more to your taste. Or you could ask around for an alternative provider.

I wouldn't put up with it if you dislike it. You'll be sick to death of it and won't eat it then fill up on less healthy snacks. Obviously as you are pregnant you need to eat well.

Cooking can be as easy or hard as you make it. Some really easy dinners would be: grilled meat with potatoes and vegetables, oven baked fish, with rice and salad, vegetable and tofu stir-fry with noodles, pasta with tomato sauce and cheese with salad.

If others have complained, there is bound to be someone in the neighbourhood who is trying an alternative or is hunting one down.
Start asking around.

@Eleoura

I still pay for it because it's cheap and very convenient. The hygiene aspect doesn't concern me.

Whow! And you are pregnant!

Ok you're obviously one of those people who thinks that anywhere outside the UK is an unhygienic cesspit but that's really not the case. When I say I'm not concerned about the hygiene I mean I'm pretty sure that the hygiene standards are fine...

if you not cooking what 18 months old eating i really wondered .

Bizarre thread. If you don’t like it any more then don’t order it any more. If your husband still likes it he can still have it. Simples.

Have you mentioned to the woman running this service that you are finding the food too salty and with too much spice? It might be that the chef can just adjust what is made to your taste.

This is just such a strange thread. And I am Indian, very used to these services, and fed spicy food to my babies ( bcos they can eat it just fine).

Honestly, why not either speak to the woman running it, or stop getting it?

Salty, unhealthy food probably killing you and dh.

Learn to cook.

Show your children how to keep healthy.

Cooking day in day out for a family is wearing, boring and usually disproportionately falls on women. It’s planning and shopping as well.

It has its advantages for sure - its undoubtedly healthier, usually cheaper in the UK, teaches you useful skills, you can involve the kids etc.

But I would not do it 100% by choice and if I had the option for what you have at a reasonable cost I’d certainly not be cancelling it altogether. Alternate days / three times a week or something.

Just order less often. I love cooking but it can be bloody relentless at times . I cook most night but I'm having a chippy tea tonight and looking forward to it!

Someone near me does this and we’re in the UK so it isn’t solely a foreign thing. It’s like meals on wheels except they’re a young couple who I gather just cba cooking .

You don’t enjoy the food so of course you should cancel it and don’t feel guilty about that either. Find another provider if possible.