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Andrew Sun

Indian food is always frustrating for my partner and me. We often crave it, and our neighbourhood curry house has a huge menu. The vexing part is that there are so many dishes we greedily want to order, but it is just the two of us.
We all know many Indian dishes can be heavy and filling. Their dense proteins, cooked in ghee and cream, with starchy carbs like flatbread and basmati rice expand exponentially in the stomach.
Although we want to devour the whole menu, reason dictates we settle on one curry, one tandoori dish, one naan and a biryani rice. These alone usually result in leftovers to take home.
It is a family-style sharing cuisine better suited for bigger groups, similar to dim sum and Chinese banquets, which typically demand a table of 10 for the proper multi-course experience.
A Thanksgiving turkey dinner for two is kind of pathetic. The same goes for a barbecue. All the prep work with charcoal to grill just two hamburger patties would be sad.
Anyway, my point is that sometimes it is just impossible to gather enough friends to eat together. Even when you find people, too many are overly picky eaters or vegans, or have allergies, intolerances or self-imposed dietary restrictions that make life less fun.
If your food selfies take too long, especially with dishes meant to be eaten hot, you will be photobombed by our utensils digging into the plate

I know group dinner is a popular format for social matchmaking and singles-dating events. But some of us simply want a higher headcount to fully indulge in an entire roast goose, a big king crab and the spectacle of a giant winter melon soup. This smorgasbord of dishes is impractical to partake in when it is just a party of two.
Perhaps the time has come for a new dinner club for hungry singletons, hermits and Dink (double income, no kids) couples who want to binge and gorge on ginormous feasts.
It will not be about socialising, networking or mingling. The sole purpose of getting together will be for the sake of gluttony. Participants do not even have to engage in chit-chat or small talk. You can comment on the food, but no attention-hogging soliloquies and no one is required to respond. In short, be civil, friendly and show enough social etiquette and manners to prove you were house-trained.
In my dinner club, you are responsible for declaring what you cannot or will not eat, but we will not accept guilt-tripping the rest of the group from ordering whatever we feel like. Food pics are allowed, but complicated lighting set-ups are discouraged. And if your food selfies take too long, especially with dishes meant to be eaten hot, you will be photobombed by our utensils digging into the plate.
Perhaps my rules sound harsh, but I think real gourmands will have no issue and find these guidelines reasonable. And like-minded appetites would appreciate and relish such a feast.
Alternatively, I guess my gal and I can just go on our own to Indian lunch buffets when we feel a little more than just peckish.


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Food and Drinks

Join my dinner club, where the sole purpose is to share food, not network or socialise

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Lifestyle

Food & Drink

For hungry singletons and couples who want to gorge on giant feasts, Andrew Sun proposes grouping up – just forget the chit-chat


For hungry singletons and couples who want to gorge on giant feasts, Andrew Sun proposes grouping up – just forget the chit-chat.


Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


Column

Mouthing Off

Join my dinner club, where the sole purpose is to share food, not network or socialise

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}For hungry singletons and couples who want to gorge on giant feasts, Andrew Sun proposes grouping up – just forget the chit-chat

For hungry singletons and couples who want to gorge on giant feasts, Andrew Sun proposes grouping up – just forget the chit-chat