Through the ages and as civilisation progressed to create social fabrics, one question that’s haunted the otherwise undaunted homemakers till date has been the perennial chant from hungry family members ‘What’s for Dinner’ ? This loaded query becomes pertinent when it comes after another round of Budget announcements wherein the Govt. informs how they intend to make our lives better but ‘Mummy’ knows all about high prices of vegetables, oils & foodstuffs& everyone should eat whatever’s cooked !
Somehow, whether it was great expectations that didn’t materialise or force of habit, we can recall that even back in the days when we’d polish off a full-plate of ‘noodles’ for just ten bucks and an ‘orange bar’ for one, Mom would admonish how costly things had become and importance of thrift. That said, we were rewarded occasionally with a feast specially if the marks for any of our siblings were good enough to be celebrated ! We realise now that they were past masters of financial management, managing large joint families and cutting the cloth accordingly. Prices were very low compared to now but there weren’t double incomes & side businesses, incomes were pretty nominal too.
Today things have not changed from the perspective of feeling the inflationary heat for the middle class with flat/low or no real incomes but a lot had changed in life-styling. Fast food instead of roti-sabji, snack munching rather than regular meals and on-line ordering as an alternative to ‘ghar ka khana’ are options that not only the millennial but the majority of the working class go for, though ‘tiffin-dabba’ is mandatory for the mid-aged and ‘sugar’ daddies placed under strict home regimen by watchful wives ! Small ‘idli-dosa’ restos& wayside ‘vada-pav’ stalls are clear favourites of working class but for savvier students its pizzas, burgers, fries, momos- Italian, Mexican,Tibetian…
For the ‘aam’ household, daily dinner is a not only an important event that needs prep but has to meet the fickle standards of the consumers (family folk), who after fussing fall in line. Home-maker is a real producer-director calling the shots on dining table !The Lady through extensive research and discussions with friends, knows the ‘dietary’ balance that must have veggies, proteins, roughage etc & less of fried stuff& ‘mitha’. After initial resistance, Baba log realise ‘way to Mom’s heart is through the veggies’ !Skipping dinners and binging out with friends is acceptable but juston occasions…
On a formal note, dinner dates and meetings are places to promote business interests, set marriage liaisons, start romantic interludes or even discuss a club’s financial affairs and new activities apart from catching up on the grapevine ‘gossip’ which some do. In his inimitable style, late Bhatti said in one of his shows on ‘meetings’ – ‘Agenda chahekuchbhiho, ‘Samose’garam hone chahiye.’! ‘Dinner’ menu is so important always. If that’s taken care of (with right drinks!), every dinner meet gets a stamp of approval.
Working on Living 