Back home in India while growing up, the term "Tiffin" was used to indicate various things - the box in which food was carried to places be it school/office/what have you, and also a snack that one ate between meals! It's usage was context sensitive!
Tea time usually was between 3:00 PM and 4:30PM. The mood and how elaborate the whole Tea drinking process varied, rather depended on how much time you had to spare! The more leisure, the more elaborate it was :-)
I think, the afternoon Tea ritual also varies from the South of India to the Northern parts. Climatic maybe?
During Team time, I always remember our neighbours - Mrs. and Mr.Shastry, who were next door when we lived in South India. Mr.Shastry was a retired professor, and Mrs.Shastry (fondly called as Sharada aunty) was a home maker. They had two kids - Pratibha and Shivu, who were all grown up and well settled in bigger cities. The ritered couple lived all by themselves. Though Shastry uncle and Sharada aunty did not have much to do on a daily basis, they always adhered to a strict regimen of time bound breakfast, lunch and dinner. Rain or shine, the routine was kept up! They would eat lunch by around 12:00 noon everyday and retire for an afternoon nap. Come 4:00 PM and it would be time for tea - in the little backyard, amidst huge trees. While Mr.Shastry would be snoring away in the middle of the afternoon, Sharada aunty would wake up a little earlier, and prepare a "Tiffin"! It would often be some "Bajji"(fritters),"Kodubale","Nippattu", "Vuddina Wade" or something equally mouth watering!! She would then make two cups of tea and they would sit outside and talk over the Tea and the "Tiffin". They continued this ritual for all the years we lived next door - I hope that they still do it, even today!
Up North, I have always seen that "Chai" time (Chai meaning Tea in Hindi) is usually dictated more by the season! Maybe because the winter and the summer months are so severe, and the daylight also fluctuates accordingly. When we lived there, "Chai time" during winters would be as early as 2:00 PM at times, as it got dark at around 3:30PM or at the worst 5:00PM. And during Summer, "Chai time" would be around 5:30 PM or so - since it would be night fall only around 8:00 PM or so!
"Chai" typically is served with a variety of "Namkeen" - like "Samosas", "Bhujia", "Matri", "Namak Pare" and what not! Yummy, Yum!
And like I said in the beginning, the word "Tiffin" included all of the above!
Moving on to the next context - Tiffin used as a box! Growing up, a Tiffin box was usually a stainless steel/plastic/aluminium/brass container that was used to carry food. The newer versions of insulated containers was unheard of! Now, the market is full of Tiffin boxes that come in various shapes/colors/sizes/materials that keep your food both hot and cold!
During our school days, my mom always packed my box with sandwiches, yogurt rice, roti/subzi or some other form of rice. And, I always hated my lunch! Little did I know at that time - I would be dying for every bit of that delicious food packed with so much love! I, and I think most of us always thought that the food in your friends' Tiffin box somehow tasted better :-) Tell me - isn't that true?
Today, when I microwave my lunch at work or buy a salad to eat - I always for some strange reason think of my school days and the "Tiffin" box!
If you have travelled by train in India, you will also know the various sizes these "Tiffin" boxes come in :-) There are families that pack dainty little sandwiches/snacks for the journey, and there are others you will meet who bring a four tier "Tiffin" packed with food you may not even dream of cooking at home :-) It's a very amusing, chaotic, mouth-watering sight to say the least :-)
Before I sign-off, I surely want you to take a peek into the 'Dubbawallah System" that the Mumbai city boasts of - I admire the organisation and the flawless execution! Hats off!! Can you believe that they even have an official website?
Check it out:
http://www.mydabbawala.com/
More at:
http://www.rediff.com/money/2005/nov/11spec.htm
http://www.sixsigmainstitute.com/news/sixsigma/2005/11/mumbais-amazing-dabbawalas.html
http://www.gadling.com/2008/01/23/mumbai-dabbawala-culture/
http://onlybombay.blogspot.com/2007/02/mumbai-dabbawala.html
Monday, June 23, 2008
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2 comments:
Regarding the dabbawalas: I have come across this six sigma performance several times over the last few years. The numbers sound incredible:
"According to a Forbes 1998 article, one mistake for every eight million deliveries is the norm. How do they achieve virtual six-sigma quality with zero documentation?"
I am interested in how Forbes could get this figure "one mistake for every eight million deliveries" without the admitted lack of documentation? Also I am curious as to what consitutes a mistake?
A very valid question unawoken - but, looks like there is data to back this up. Even an edition of the Harvard Business Review ran an article with relevant numbers!
A mistake I would think would constitute of a mis-delivery - a wrong 'dubba' delivered to the wrong person. Or even a missed delivery altogether!
The whole thing is very innovative and impressive though!
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