By Sampada Anuranjanee Khatiwada

Kathmandu, Mar. 31: Amid the nationwide lockdown enforced by the government of Nepal, everyone has been staying indoors and serving from their end to prevent the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.
While the denizens have been carrying out a shared responsibility of preventing the virus by not stepping out of their houses, the lockdown has become an occasion to spend quality time with the family. Everyone is busy in binge reading, watching soap operas and movies online, cooking, gardening, writing and carrying out other creative works as such.
Cooking has also been many people’s choice to spend time during the lockdown, among others. People are seen cooking various delicacies at home and posting on social media, especially on Facebook and Instagram.
Sushila Dhakal, 44, said, "We are utilising our spare time by cooking various items at home every day, with the help of limited food supplies we have at home."
"In this era of fast-foods, we tend to forget the taste and authenticity of healthy homemade foods," said Dhakal. "Cooking is also a good way to spend quality time with the family."
Dhakal said that her family made authentic Nepali foods such as selroti, phapar ko roti (Buckwheat Pancakes), dhindo, gundruk ko achar and so forth during the lockdown. "The authentic Nepali foods hold different specialty and it is important to pass on the recipes to our children and keep our culture and tradition intact," she added.
Meanwhile, a lot of people have been sharing the pictures and recipes of homemade food on their social media handles. On Instagram, more than 23,000 people have posted foods they made during the quarantine by using hash-tag '#Quarantinefood'.
Likewise, a Nepali food blogging page on Instagram, called 'Nepal.food', having more than 169,000 followers has initiated a home cooking contest, in order to make the lockdown period more interesting and productive.
"The contest is initiated to make the most out of the quarantine period," the page shared. "It is open to everyone and all they have to do is post a well-presented picture of their food on Instagram."
"The picture will be judged by 10 restaurant owners of Kathmandu and the winner will be selected accordingly," it said. "The top four winners will receive Rs. 10,000 cash prize, Rs. 10,000 worth of shopping voucher, free lunch at Trisara restaurant and ziplining at Dhulikhel for two people."
Until now, more than 60 people have participated in the contest.
Dr Rabindra Pandey, Public Health Specialist, said that cooking was a good way to cope with anxiety and frustration during the quarantine.
"As we have a lot of spare time during the lockdown, we tend to feel bored and anxious," said Dr Pandey. "It is important to keep ourselves busy in constructive things."
Learning new recipes, cooking various dishes, training children to cook could be fun yet productive way to spend time during the quarantine, added Dr Pandey.
Good and healthy foods bring positivity in one's life, which is much needed while living amidst the threat created by COVID-19 worldwide. As staying in quarantine and social distancing is very important at the current scenario, it is important for everyone to do what they love and eat healthy to maintain a sound mental health during the lockdown.