# Tiffin wallahs **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 6, 2009, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiffin-wallahs/488577 "2009-03-06T20:43:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2009, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiffin-wallahs/488577/1 "2009-03-06T20:43:52Z")
[This thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=509372) reminded me of tiffin wallahs. A tiffin wallah, or dabbawala, is a person who collects home-prepared lunches in a _dabba_, or ‘tiffin box’, from residences and delivers it office workers. In the U.S. people bring lunch or go to a café/bistro/restaurant/fast-food place/whatever, or go without; and it seems to me that dual-income households are the norm, rather than one partner or the other staying home. But suppose you A) have a significant other, B) do not work outside of the home, and C) lived in an area with sufficient population density (e.g., a big city that’s not too spread out), would you use a dabbawala/tiffin wallah? For me, the conditions do not apply. I’m single and live alone, I’m employed, and I don’t live in the city where I work. But I wouldn’t mind cooking lunch for an SO and paying a small fee to have it delivered to her, nor would I mind a home-cooked lunch at the office in the opposite situation. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2009, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiffin-wallahs/488577/2 "2009-03-06T20:51:28Z")
Oh, my. As soon as I saw the thread title I was reminded of the tiffin wallahs in India. You made me miss it so much. In India, they bring you these metal tins, that stack on top of each other, and then the whole thing clasps shut, so you essentially have this cylinder. There’s rotis, and dahl, and a veggie, and maybe some raita or something sweet…I don’t know if they go to your home to pick it up. The only ones I ever heard of are like a delivery restaurant. Oh how I miss it. ---
**Author:** ![maleinblack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@maleinblack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maleinblack)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2009, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiffin-wallahs/488577/3 "2009-03-06T21:35:04Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Oh, my. As soon as I saw the thread title I was reminded of the tiffin wallahs in India. You made me miss it so much. > > In India, they bring you these metal tins, that stack on top of each other, and then the whole thing clasps shut, so you essentially have this cylinder. There’s rotis, and dahl, and a veggie, and maybe some raita or something sweet…I don’t know if they go to your home to pick it up. The only ones I ever heard of are like a delivery restaurant. > > Oh how I miss it. They actually will pick up food from your place and deliver it to you. If you don’t have anyone cooking for you at home, you can engage a caterer to prepare the food for you. The Tiffinwala (known as Dabbawala locally) will pick it up from the caterer. The whole setup is fascinating and the error rate is virtually minimal. Hit the [Wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dabbawala) link for more info. -maleinblack (used to live in Bombay for 24 years) ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2009, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiffin-wallahs/488577/4 "2009-03-06T21:40:06Z")
They sell little stacking towers of those tiffin tins at my local Cost Plus World Market, and they fascinate me. I’d like to buy and use them, but I already have enough food container tchotchkes cluttering up my kitchen. But I like them. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2009, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiffin-wallahs/488577/5 "2009-03-06T21:50:34Z")
Very similar idea in “Mr. bento” – a space-saving variant of the Japanese bento box. > **[Amazon.com: Zojirushi Mr. Bento Stainless Steel Lunch Jar, Silver: Bento Boxes:...](https://www.amazon.com/Zojirushi-SL-JAE14SA-Bento-Stainless-Silver/dp/B000246GSE)** > > Shop Zojirushi at the Amazon Storage & Organization store. Free Shipping on eligible items. Everyday low prices, save up to 50%. I want one so very desperately, but I also recognize that I’m just not that organized with my lunches. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2009, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiffin-wallahs/488577/6 "2009-03-06T21:55:05Z")
> [@maleinblack](#): > > They actually will pick up food from your place and deliver it to you. If you don’t have anyone cooking for you at home, you can engage a caterer to prepare the food for you. The Tiffinwala (known as Dabbawala locally) will pick it up from the caterer. > > The whole setup is fascinating and the error rate is virtually minimal. Hit the [Wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dabbawala) link for more info. > > -maleinblack (used to live in Bombay for 24 years) Hello, and thanks for the link! Never been to Bombay, but I have seen it in Delhi. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2009, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiffin-wallahs/488577/7 "2009-03-06T22:27:10Z")
FYI, [this](http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/15/dining/15deli.html?scp=1) was an article in the New York Times about a similar service in the US; Indian meals prepared and delivered to the office. The article mentions that this is available in the Bay Area, Manhattan and Redmond, Washington. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2009, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiffin-wallahs/488577/8 "2009-03-06T22:36:52Z")
Redmond! So near, and yet so far. (Of course in Belltown I can just walk a few blocks and get Indian take-out.) ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2009, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiffin-wallahs/488577/9 "2009-03-07T01:12:44Z")
Neat. Never heard of such a thing here in the US. The working partner would presumably just grab the lunch as he/she went out the door, and would microwave it at the office at lunch time. I don’t see the usefulness in someone running by my house, picking up the lunch my spouse made for me, and bringing it to my office. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2009, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiffin-wallahs/488577/10 "2009-03-07T13:46:00Z")
I’d totally use the service. I’ve got some tiffin-cases, which I sometimes pack in the morning and send off with my sweetie, but he’s repeatedly complained that everything’s cold by lunchtime, and because it’s metal, it can’t be microwaved. ---
**Author:** ![Panurge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/fbc32d/32.png) [@Panurge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Panurge)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2009, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiffin-wallahs/488577/11 "2009-03-07T20:10:22Z")
If my SO would cook me a nice, Indian meal every day - sure! Unfortunately I do most of the cooking in the household so it’s more wishful thinking than something waiting to happen… ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiffin-wallahs/488577/12 "2009-03-11T09:51:31Z")
If I could get five tiers of aloo gobi every day I’d be a happy tumbleddown. Okay, three of aloo gobi, one of chana dal and one of roti. Mmm. Okay, I’d like that once a month, even. I’m not greedy. Okay, wait, I am greedy. I want an Indian restaurant closer than a half hour away from me, and I want it now! (And open 24 hours, please.) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiffin-wallahs/488577/13 "2009-03-11T15:26:03Z")
No reason you couldn’t put non-Indian dishes in the tiffin box. I’m thinking home-cooked pasta, beef stroganoff, lamb stew… ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiffin-wallahs/488577/14 "2009-03-11T20:53:20Z")
I’ve heard of this service, and I’ve never understood it’s usefulness. Sure, it would be nice to have my lunch delivered to the office, but based on the reports/documentaries I’ve seen, the lunches leave home not much later then the worker does. Why not just carry your own lunch. (I am very impressed by the accuracy/ontime records though. Our drycleaner needs to talk to these guys.)