Takeaway Onasadya Gains Popularity Among Malayalis

Rapid Summary

• Families in Kerala are increasingly opting for takeaway ‘Onasadya’ (traditional festive meal) during Onam to avoid the time and effort involved in cooking.
• Post-COVID, the trend gained popularity as catering was one of the few operational services during lockdowns.
• Caterers like Shahul Hameed from Kozhikode served thousands of meals this Onam, including 200 kits on Thiruvonam day alone and a total of roughly 20,000 meals primarily for school and institutional celebrations.
• Takeaway sadyas are considered more affordable and convenient than home-cooked ones,while enabling families to spend more quality time together engaging in activities such as temple visits or family outings.
• Non-vegetarian dishes remain popular alongside traditional sadya; caterers specializing in these foods report high demand during Onam (e.g., delivery of 200 kg chicken fry by Haroon Rasheed’s unit).
• some see this trend as having feminist implications, alleviating women’s disproportionate burden of kitchen responsibilities during festivals.

Indian Opinion Analysis
The growing popularity of takeaway Onasadya reflects shifting social attitudes toward convenience-driven traditions amidst broader cultural transformations post-pandemic. While it enables families to celebrate by reducing domestic labor pressures-especially for women-it also highlights evolving consumer behavior valuing time over manual effort. Economically, this trend supports local businesses like catering units that navigate logistical challenges involved in serving large-scale demands efficiently.

As Kerala sees an increasing number of families embracing pre-booked festive meals, this shift hints at deeper societal changes intertwined with gender dynamics and modern notions of work-life balance within cultural frameworks like Onam celebrations. Catering diversity-including vegetarian sadya packages and supplementary non-traditional options-redefines how traditional feasts can adapt without losing their central role in fostering community bonding.

Read more: The Hindu