Anonymous wrote:I really love my pjs.

I guess that would be more delivery. I like not having to get dressed. Over cooking. We do take turns picking up takeout to be alone for a few minutes. Lol. The delivery fees big me so we do pick up more often.

Anonymous wrote:Explain why I should bother explaining anything that I happen to like and prefer just because you don't?

Because there maybe there is a method to have better takeout: don’t order dressed salads, hot sandwiches, steak, fries, anything deep fried. Ethnic food usually is good: pastas, saucy rice dishes, shawarma, cold foods

Explain why I should bother explaining anything that I happen to like and prefer just because you don't?

We order delivery once a week or a little less. It’s definitely the least efficient way to get food in terms of value. You have to pay fees and tip, food is at least 20 minutes old when it arrives and your only recourse for an issue is to complain and get the item refunded rather than receiving the correct item. All that said, I like my weekly takeout because it allows me to eat food from cuisines for which I don’t maintain pantry ingredients. I don’t, plan to (or really want to) maintain supplies to make, say, mapo tofu, but it’s great to have once in a while via delivery.

I usually order stuff that I can not make at home or it require too much steps. Sometimes, you just don't want to cook.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is food that I don't have to cook, and that tastes different than what I cook at home. In a pandemic, that's all I need.

+1

And, I am TIRED of cooking.

+1 There is an old Dennis the Menace comic circulating online where he says something like,
"Can we go out to eat? I am so tired of eating GROCERIES!"

I did not enjoy cooking before and super don't enjoy it now!

For anyone near Kensington, Knowles Station has been making delicious dinners for 2 (or 4) to order ahead a pickup. As a bonus you can add wine.

https://usakor.com/knowlesstation/product-category/foods/food-specials/

The key is to focus on cuisines and dishes that travel well and taste just as good (if not better) when reheated. As a number of previous posters have pointed out, Indian is phenomenal for this. Also, savvy restaurants have revamped their menus to be carryout friendly. Instagram-ready is less about delicate plating and more about dishes that look mouth-watering in takeout containers.

we allow ourselves take out twice a week from places that we know we like. we do pick up.

we do this because at this point in the pandemic we deserve it. we are both exhausted.

it does help that we are able to afford this. its a treat for us and helps the local restaurants.

we usually get pizza, wings, or sushi. things we don't typically make at home.

Anonymous wrote:"OP opens their UberEats app, signing audibly as they look over the meager options willing to deliver to their remote exburb. 'Applebee's, Panda Express, KFC, why do people even get takeout when these are the only options?' OP asks themselves as they close the app, open DC Urban Mom, and start composing their 15th thread this week wondering why anyone would possibly want to live in the city."

Spot on!

Anonymous wrote:Restaurant food is not inexpensive. How do people afford to eat out all.the.time? We might get carry-out once a month. My friend burned through her first stimulus check getting specialty meals, and the money was gone almost immediately. I mean, I'll buy a nice filet mignon steak every couple of weeks and we'll make a delicious dinner with a baked potato with all the trimmings. It's totally an easy dinner doing a reverse sear, it's delicious, and it costs way less than a take-out meal.

The answer is very simple. We have more money than you do. I know it can be hard to believe if you have to keep a tight grip on your budget, but cost just doesn't factor into food decision-making for a sizable portion (pun intended) of the population.

Because at this point of prepping endless meals for the whole family, I do not even want to look at my pans let alone cook another effin' meal.

"OP opens their UberEats app, signing audibly as they look over the meager options willing to deliver to their remote exburb. 'Applebee's, Panda Express, KFC, why do people even get takeout when these are the only options?' OP asks themselves as they close the app, open DC Urban Mom, and start composing their 15th thread this week wondering why anyone would possibly want to live in the city."

OP we’ve had excellent take out from Rooster & Owl. 3-4 courses, great choices, packaged well for reheating if needed. You select a pickup time - we prefer to pick up. The first course is usually a cold course (salad, ricotta toast, etc) and we pop the main in the warming drawer or the microwave depending on what it is. They usually provide reheating instructions. They package garnishes or cool elements separately so you only reheat the parts that need to be reheated. Dessert is always a room temp or cold item. It’s pricey (but cheaper than eating in at a good restaurant so less than we were spending pre-pandemic) so we get it every 2-3 weeks.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Restaurant food is not inexpensive. How do people afford to eat out all.the.time? We might get carry-out once a month. My friend burned through her first stimulus check getting specialty meals, and the money was gone almost immediately. I mean, I'll buy a nice filet mignon steak every couple of weeks and we'll make a delicious dinner with a baked potato with all the trimmings. It's totally an easy dinner doing a reverse sear, it's delicious, and it costs way less than a take-out meal.

Most people who are eating out all the time don't qualify for stimulus checks.

We get a lot of takeout, and even in the before times spent more on eating out than we should. But we have a very reasonable mortgage, drive a 10-year-old Kia Soul (and only have one car), etc. Eating out is a luxury we really enjoy, and we (hopefully) make up for it by being pretty thrifty in other parts of our lives.

Everyone has the things they spend on, ya know?