Eating out? Hell no!

Restaurants are getting louder, dimmer, more unruly, more expensive. Let's send these modern trends back to the kitchen

- SEEMA GOSWAMI

As someone who eats out reasonably often, I have to confess that the 'restaurant experience' is leaving me completely cold of late. Given a choice I would much rather cook for myself and eat at home or – if I am feeling lazy – just order in and serve it up on my dining table. Why, you ask? Well, let me count the ways...

First off, the thing that annoys me the most about restaurants these days: Loud music pounding away relentlessly, so that any conversation with your dinner companions is impossible. I have to keep asking my dinner guests to repeat what they say; and that can get really annoying (for both parties) after a while. And worse, I have to keep shouting at the top of my voice to be heard above the music. Result: My throat is a goner midway through the evening.