I am reposting my response to FAQ's again because people seem to have forwarded the blog on to their friends (thank you!) who are not sure of why I do this.
Response to FAQs
I find cooking therapeutic :-) but don't have as much time to entertain people as I wish. So I am going to try combining my love for cuisine with my social and political causes.
How does it work?
I plan to create a "thali" for four - to go - once a week (or so) and ask you to donate $$ to a cause of my liking.
What is a thali? Its the equivalent of a Japanese Bento box and is a balanced meal. Usually consists of a vegetable, a lentil curry, a yoghurt dish or raita to be eaten with rice and/or roti (Indian bread) and dessert.
Whay do I want to do this? Many reasons :-)
We live in interesting times and this is an easy way to bring about change. We, or rather I, get caught up with home and work, so there is little time for major involvement in politics or social change.
Food, politics and social causes go together and run in the family. Dad was an activist who got involved in the freedom movement in his early teens and went on to many other causes. He was also a terrific cook!
My great grandfather started one of the oldest restaurants in Bangalore called Udupi Sri Krishna Bhavan over a century ago. Lunch or breakfast there is a Bangalore tradition. Writers, politicians and journalists have always hung out there. All the 40+ 4th generation cousins I can think of are foodies.
Is this a biz?
No, its social entrepreneurship. I have a real job that I enjoy! Thali is a means to combine my passion for food with fundraising for a cause. While restaurants e.g. Il Fornaio donate 1% of their sales, 100% of Thali’s sales go to a cause.
You directly donate the $$ online or send in a check to the cause of the week and bring in a receipt when you pick up dinner.
Why not make thali’s for one?
I may do this further down the road, but I don’t have the time right now. Need to cook for 4 to get any scale efficiency on 5+ dishes and generate enough $$ for a charity. Feel free to store it for later or creatively arrange to split it with a friend.
What kind of social causes?
I have a list, ranging from the Smiletrain, Kiva, Shankar Eye Foundation, Scholarships, the Shelter Network etc. Feel free to send in your suggestions.
What kind of political causes?
Send them to me and I can see if I support them. Anything that deals with equality for women and minorities usually sound good to me. Or education.
Lead time to plan dinner?
I usually have some slack on Fridays (since I work on Saturday) so plan to run CT once a week or once in two. Menu will be posted on Wed night. If we have guest chefs, I’ll post that too on Wed. Remember, the thali's are to go.
A min of $100 for a dinner for 4.
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