The Case for Having a Bed Picnic
By Rakhee Bhatt | March 3, 2025
Bed picnic featuring the Dishoom masala chai and chilli cheese toast. Photography by Rakhee Bhatt. All rights reserved.
There’s an old adage that goes, “If you don’t pick a day to relax, your body will pick it for you.” I find that when I go too long without prioritizing my mental, physical, and spiritual health that life grinds me down until I take the requisite pause.
One of the ways I like to relax and recharge is inspired by Padma Lakshmi. Many years ago, for the Sunday ritual section of The New York Times, the television host and author shared her weekly routine of having what she dubbed the “bed picnic.” Essentially, rather than just eating in bed, Lakshmi turns the practice into a self-care ritual by first making her bed, taking a shower, and getting into a fresh pair of pajamas. From there, she makes a stack of sandwiches and a pot of tea — all neatly presented — to savor while watching a series.
Lakshmi further explained her bed picnic habit a few years later on the YouTube talk show “Hot Ones,” stating, “You actually think of it as the activity, so you feel no guilt or shame. It’s not like ‘Oh, I was such a schlub today and I just stayed home.’ You say, ‘No, I’m having a bed picnic.’”
That idea has stayed with me. Not the exact menu, but the permission to make rest intentional. I’ve tried Lakshmi’s bed picnic in various ways, and while the food I eat tends to vary, one thing that is a constant on my tray is masala chai in the style of Dishoom. The Bombay-inspired UK restaurant group holds a special place in my heart for bringing dishes rooted in Parsi, Muslim, Hindu, and Christian traditions onto one table. Their self-titled recipe book, Dishoom, is a love letter to that spirit. While every Indian household has its own spin on chai, mine included, the Dishoom version is one I like to make when I have time to let the ginger, cardamom, pepper, and milk slowly come together.
Dishoom Cookbook
“From Bombay With Love,” this is the first recipe book from the famed UK restaurant group.
Photography by Rakhee Bhatt. All rights reserved.
DISHOOM MASALA CHAI
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 tbsp loose Assam or Darjeeling tea, or 3 English breakfast teabags
12 slices of fresh ginger root
1.5 tsp black peppercorns
12 cardamom pods
2 cinnamon sticks
5 cloves
3 tbsp granulated white sugar
2 cups whole milk
Instructions
1. Put the tea, ginger, and spices into a saucepan, pour in 4.25 cups of water, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until you can smell the spices, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the sugar and milk, turn up the heat, and bring to a boil. Allow 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. (A skin will form, but this strains off at the end.) Taste to see if the chai is to your liking. Boil a little longer if you wish for a stronger flavor.
3. Strain, discard the solids, and serve immediately.
Masala chai recipe shared with permission from Dishoom.