Finding routine in reality television

*Dramatic voice over* In a world without routine, events or happenings, one man finds himself compelled to the viewing that is MasterChef. I certainly have been engaged with MasterChef of late. And oddly enough, I am finding that it provides routine and structure to my evenings. I certainly used to think it was a waste of time, but I am finding newfound benefits to my recent viewing habits.

Connecting with my Grandma

My grandma is unfortunately one of the toughest people hit by the pandemic that I know. She has had her business shut down and is renting an apartment all by herself in Melbourne. Myself and my family have been trying to keep up regular contact with her to check in if she’s ok and see what’s going on in her world. One of the best topics I’m finding at the moment… MasterChef. I’ve struck gold. It is both a subject we know a lot about and have been suckered into. We also love food. We chatter on about what dishes we thought were good, the different characters of the contestants and what we think of the new judges. Additionally, it makes a great segway topic into if she’s been doing any cooking and to make sure she’s eating well and getting some good food into her.

Family ritual

As the days go by quicker and quicker my family and I often break off during the day and drift in and out of activities together. However, MasterChef is a time of the day that we all sit together and watch. We come together for dinner and then at 7:30 we sit down and just enjoy the mindless drama of it. It feels like it is providing a sense of structure and finality to my day which I am finding quite nice to have back since isolation.

Cooking

I’ve been getting quite inspired in the kitchen lately. I've been trying to cook up some new and exciting food I’ve never tried before (and … I’ll admit it, maybe I’ve been getting inspired by MasterChef). At the moment I’ve tried crème brûlée, gelato, pavlova, my own pasta sheets and lots of curries.