Snippets: Cooking as an expression

Study found that 77% of all respondents are open to trying out different types of food

Kitchens across India are undergoing an astonishing transformation as increasing number of multi-cultural nuclear families are becoming the new reality of India. Cooking has metamorphosed from a chore to a pleasure seeking activity that individuals like to indulge in, and often also as a means of expressing themselves, much like a form of art such as painting, sculpting, dance and music.

A recent study by Godrej Appliances’ Innovation Cell has revealed that people’s taste palates are far more evolved today than ever before, largely owing to greater exposure to a variety of foods. The study found that 77 per cent of all respondents are open to trying out different types of food. And people are trying out more and more new recipes at home — about 60 per cent respondents prepare something new to eat a few times a month, and about 30 per cent do so a few times a week.

Asia firms confident

Business sentiment at Asia’s top companies rose to its highest in almost two years in the first quarter of 2017, buoyed by positive economic signs from the United States and China that underpinned improved global demand, a Thomson Reuters/INSEAD survey showed. The Thomson Reuters/INSEAD Asian Business Sentiment Index representing the six-month outlook of 96 firms, rebounded to 70 for January-March from 63 three months prior. A reading over 50 indicates a positive view.

During the quarter, the US and China - two top destinations for Asian exporters - reported a slew of upbeat economic data that were far better than market expectations. “Optimism about the US economy, lack of immediate crisis in China, lack of bad news in Europe... have reduced some of the immediate risks,” said Singapore-based economics professor Antonio Fatas at business school INSEAD. Sentiment in export-oriented Malaysia rebounded the most, with its sub-index jumping 20 points to a three-year high of 75. reuters