South Asian Eateries 'Go Local' to Recover from Pandemic Losses
2023-01-09
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1Hotels and restaurants across South Asia have had to reimagine eating out because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
2The worldwide health crisis forced many eateries to close.
3Those that survived are trying to use more local sources.
4In India, restaurants were badly harmed by lockdowns and virus outbreaks.
5Millions of people in the industry lost their jobs.
6In neighboring Sri Lanka, those in the restaurant industry continue to struggle.
7Saman Nayanananda is a food and drink supervisor at a hotel in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo.
8He said that depending more on local food sources is critical.
9Nayanananda survived a powerful tsunami in 2004 that killed 230,000.
10He lived through a long civil war that ended in 2009 and witnessed the results of the deadly 2019 terrorist attack that happened on the Easter holiday.
11After every disaster, Sri Lanka's economy was able to recover.
12But this time, the struggle to recover is greater.
13The country's economy is faced with debt and fuel and food shortages.
14"A year after COVID, all hotels started food delivery," he said.
15"We were slowly recovering and then this economic crisis came."
16"This crisis," he said, "it has broken the middle class."
17Because of the struggles, Nayanananda and others have centered on local foods to develop their offerings.
18Dishes were created that used locally grown sweet potatoes, cassava, yams and cowpeas.
19Maneesh Baheti is founder and director of the South Asian Association for Gastronomy.
20He said the pandemic has raised awareness about health concerns and food sourcing.
21This has led the industry to adopt more environmentally friendly practices.
22That includes offering dishes made with locally grown produce.
23"Eating fresh local produce according to season, returning to diets rich in nuts, legumes and green leafy vegetables, are trends that are here to stay," Baheti said.
24As the food services industry rebuilds itself, restaurant owners say some practices that became necessary during the pandemic can offer a way forward.
25Many urban communities are experimenting with plant-based diets and growing vegetables and fruits in creative ways on their properties.
26Back in Colombo, Nayanananda began riding a bicycle to work and growing food at his home after it became difficult to feed his family.
27In Sri Lanka and other countries in Asia, the recent wave of COVID-19 infections in China has caused worries over the risk of a return to shutdowns and other restrictions. But Nayanananda said he is hopeful.
28"What is important," he said, "is to learn to live with what we have in our hands."
29I'm Ashley Thompson.
1Hotels and restaurants across South Asia have had to reimagine eating out because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The worldwide health crisis forced many eateries to close. Those that survived are trying to use more local sources. 2In India, restaurants were badly harmed by lockdowns and virus outbreaks. Millions of people in the industry lost their jobs. 3In neighboring Sri Lanka, those in the restaurant industry continue to struggle. 4Saman Nayanananda is a food and drink supervisor at a hotel in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo. He said that depending more on local food sources is critical. 5Nayanananda survived a powerful tsunami in 2004 that killed 230,000. He lived through a long civil war that ended in 2009 and witnessed the results of the deadly 2019 terrorist attack that happened on the Easter holiday. 6After every disaster, Sri Lanka's economy was able to recover. 7But this time, the struggle to recover is greater. The country's economy is faced with debt and fuel and food shortages. 8"A year after COVID, all hotels started food delivery," he said. "We were slowly recovering and then this economic crisis came." 9"This crisis," he said, "it has broken the middle class." 10Because of the struggles, Nayanananda and others have centered on local foods to develop their offerings. Dishes were created that used locally grown sweet potatoes, cassava, yams and cowpeas. 11Maneesh Baheti is founder and director of the South Asian Association for Gastronomy. He said the pandemic has raised awareness about health concerns and food sourcing. This has led the industry to adopt more environmentally friendly practices. That includes offering dishes made with locally grown produce. 12"Eating fresh local produce according to season, returning to diets rich in nuts, legumes and green leafy vegetables, are trends that are here to stay," Baheti said. 13As the food services industry rebuilds itself, restaurant owners say some practices that became necessary during the pandemic can offer a way forward. 14Many urban communities are experimenting with plant-based diets and growing vegetables and fruits in creative ways on their properties. 15Back in Colombo, Nayanananda began riding a bicycle to work and growing food at his home after it became difficult to feed his family. 16In Sri Lanka and other countries in Asia, the recent wave of COVID-19 infections in China has caused worries over the risk of a return to shutdowns and other restrictions. But Nayanananda said he is hopeful. 17"What is important," he said, "is to learn to live with what we have in our hands." 18I'm Ashley Thompson. 19The Associated Press reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for VOA Learning English. 20_______________________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22outbreak - n. a sudden start or increase of fighting or disease 23dish - n. food that is prepared in a particular way 24awareness - n. the state of knowing that something (such as a situation, condition, or problem) exists 25diet - n. the food that a person or animal usually eats 26_______________________________________________________________ 27What do you think of this story? 28We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 29Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.