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Sudha Menon

This DINK couple in Mumbai finds it more convenient, and interesting, to eat out all the time.

Gayatri and Gautam (far right) enjoy a restaurant meal with friends.

For Mumbai couple Gayatri and Gautam, the term `life is a party' takes on an all-new meaning as they end up eating out at least 3-4 times a week. This classic double income no kids (DINK) couple lead a busy life, clocking 10-12 hours at work every day. The result: there is very little time, energy or inclination to keep the kitchen fire burning.

Living in Andheri, they spend several hours each day simply commuting to work. "Gautam works for ABN AMRO in Lower Parel and drives at least three hours a day. We try to tcommute to work together but our schedules are so different it does not work out most times," says Gayatri, who works in the advertising and communications department of ICICI Bank.

With the couple rarely home before 9 p.m., they find it impossible to hire a domestic help or cook. This effectively means they have to do their own cooking after returning home. With fortnightly targets, sales meetings and conferences being top priority, the last thing on their mind is shopping for groceries or cooking. The couple, married for just over a year now, confess that they had started out with hopes of setting up home together and cooking a lot as both are confirmed foodies.

"But two months into marriage and juggling demanding work schedules with a new relationship was enough to reconcile us to the fact that there was not going to be too much action on the kitchen front," quips Gautam, a Puneiite who shifted to Mumbai after the wedding.

This 25-something couple often wind up their work and head to a restaurant for dinner, before going home to bed. It helps that both work in localities that have some of the hippest restaurants and pubs in Mumbai city. Bandra, where Gayatri works, now has all the glamour and buzz of South Mumbai, and at least one new pub or restaurant opens here every other month.

With a shared passion for food and with no kids to rush home to, the couple is constantly trying out new options ranging from fiery Thai red curry and rice at Bandra's Lemon Grass Café to pastas, pizzas, oriental food, hot dogs, burgers, chaat and bhel.

"When we were kids and living in smaller towns, eating out was for special occasions but now it's an everyday thing," says Gayatri. "Both of us love seafood and every once in a while we head to Gajalee or Oh! Calcutta for our fill of prawns or crab; the two hours' drive through bad traffic seems worth it." Gautam also loves tucking into breakfast at Just Around The Corner.

Unlike couples with kids and instalments to repay for home/car loans, this couple doesn't need to worry about the cost of eating out so frequently. "Mumbai is an expensive place to live in and we are now reconciled to the fact that even an ordinary meal will set us back by Rs 500. But we figured that we work really hard, make enough money and, if eating out helps take the drudgery out of life and gives us some shared moments together, we are not going to crib about the cost," says Gayatri.

"We don't go to fancy places every day, but once in a while we treat ourselves to a really classy place and go the whole hog with wine and starters and dessert, which sets us back by a good amount," Gautam adds.

The couple does rue the fact that they don't have the time to rustle up a meal for themselves, especially since both love pottering about in the kitchen and trying out new recipes. On rare Sundays when both have no other social commitment, their tiny kitchen is busy cooking a range of Italian, Thai, south Indian and Mughlai dishes.

"Gautam thinks cooking vegetarian is a waste of time, so usually it is pulav and chicken curry, or fish curry and rice, or Idli Sambar from me," says Gayatri. "It helps us unwind just to be at home and experiment with food." And while the eating-out remains unabated, Gayatri is aware that this fancy-free lifestyle might not continue when a kid arrives. "But I live in the hope that the kid will be a foodie too, and then the party can go on with one more person joining the gang!"

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