The social life diet

Just the other day, we were having pizzas at office. One lady, a self-proclaimed pizza fan (who had said, back in the day, she could have pizza for breakfast, lunch and dinner), refused to have even a single slice because she's "on a diet". Then, she proceeded to open her tiffin-box and munch on some "home-style" (insipid) vegetables and other such no-carbs fare. This was at a work setting, but dieter's face had kind of fallen, while the others guiltily made fair game of the pizzas, secretly hoping dieter wasn't silently cursing them as she popped a steamed broccoli into her mouth. Transpose the setting to an evening out, where the entire purpose of the catch-up has been to have some fun - and, let's face it, who can have fun if you're counting calories? A friend, a careful eater, told me she usually eats at home ("healthy stuff"), and then goes clubbing. That way she's not sorely tempted to eat something (like deep-fried finger food) not in line with her "healthy living" scheme of things, but at times, she indulges in a dessert. "What's the point?" I asked her. "Precisely," she said. "So, I've had to severely cut down on my socialising. I mean, I know I'm a big bore when I start saying I'm not eating anything because I'm on a diet, and others get really cheesed off. I'm a kind of a party pooper, and then I spoil it for myself by tucking into a cheesecake to offset the rest of the denial." Increasingly, with everyone being on some kind of a diet or the other, socialising - for all concerned - is taking a hit. People are consciously steering clear of fetching up at a dinner party or a restaurant. There are emerging concepts such as cheat days, but even then, socialising is getting restricted. This week, we find out how much of an impact your dietary constraints have on impromptu breakfast meets and dinner dates.
I love Vicky Kaushal, and today (Friday) I'm going watch Manmarziyaan, which looks promising, thanks largely to him! Was most chuffed to discover our Bollywood columnist had done a piece on the actor who shot into the limelight with his powerhouse performance in Masaan. Travel takes you over to Pakistan to uncover royal secrets of yore at a palace in Chiniot: the Umar Hayat Mahal. Did you know what a poke bowl is? I didn't, but thanks to Kitchen Classics this week, I now know it's Hawaiian seafood renderings - in a bowl. All this and much more.
Enjoy reading WKND and have a great weekend.