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Setting up the table for a BCBCBath potluck

BCBCBath, a Bangalore cookbook club

September 12, 2023

What

In 2022, Apurva and I started a cookbook club in Bangalore called BCBCBath — a mashup of Bangalore cook book club and a favorite local breakfast item called bisi bele bath.

We’d both run a version of this back in Pune (coverage in Pune Mirror and Mint) & Mumbai, and having moved to Bangalore, we figured it was time we’d do the same here.

Why

The idea has always been to get ourselves outside our comfort zone and make dishes that we wouldn’t have otherwise. We’ve found joy in cooking for others and this has been a great way to explore a wide range of cookbooks and cuisines.

We’re all learning, so it’s absolutely okay if you don’t cook much but are willing to roll up your sleeves and get down to it.

Over time, it’s helped us to get a hang of “swaad anusaar” and not necessarily depend on the recipe entirely. Alternate ingredients, sharing ingredients, cooking with another member because you may not have an equipment — it’s all welcome.

How

We coordinate over a WhatsApp group. Members vote on a date for the month and a cookbook, one member offers to host that month (and specifies the number of people they can host), attendees cook at their respective places, and then meet at the host’s for the potluck. You may do final prep and finishing touches at the host’s.

Basic rules:

  1. No +1s. No kids. Only members attend. Only the host is allowed to have family/flatmates around.
  2. To be able to ensure everyone gets to attend and people aren’t just squatting in the group:
    • If you don’t attend a potluck once in every five (5) meetups, you’ll be asked to drop off from the group.
    • New members are expected to attend a potluck within the first two (2) months of joining the group, else you’ll be asked to drop off from the group.
  3. Last minute cancellations without valid reasons may lead to warnings. Repeat warnings will lead to removal from the group.
  4. Other usual decency etiquettes apply.

If you’d like to be a part of the group, please fill this form and we’ll reach out as slots open up.

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