What's on their plate?

With rising prices and recession in the news, the debate around basic food and nutrition keeps coming back. A look at what families from different income groups are eating for dinner.

With rising prices and recession in the news, the debate around basic food and nutrition keeps coming back. A look at what families from different income groups are eating for dinner.

HT Image

Asha Rani family, Ludhiana
Annual income: Rs 30,000
Family head: Asha Rani, 29, heads a family of rag-pickers residing under Jagraon bridge
Members: Three – self and two children
Food on the plate: Chapati and boiled potato
Quantity: 500g potatoes, 50g mustard oil, a little flour for the meal
Food bought from: Local grocery stores
Who cooks the food: Asha Rani Cost of the meal: Rs 30-40 approximately
Dealing with leftovers: Cooks once a day. No question of leftovers as whatever is cooked is never enough for the family
Cut downs: These days, onions aren’t used in any preparation as they are way beyond their reach On several days in a month, plain chapati is eaten with green chillies

(Photo: Sikander Singh Chopra/HT)
(By Swati Goel Sharma)

Samra Family, Bathinda

Annual income: Rs 1 lakh

Family head: Rajinder Singh Samra, 48, farmer with four acres in Gill Pati village where he grows paddy and wheat

Members: Five – self, father, mother, wife and son

Food on the plate: About 20 chapatis in all and a bowl of dal for each member

Quantity: 2 kg wheat flour and 200g dal

Food bought from: Local grocery store

Who cooks the food: Wife Shinderpal Kaur

Cost of the meal: Rs 150 approximately

Dealing with leftovers: Nothing is left as whatever is cooked is consumed

Cut downs (if any): Use one onion instead of three; ghee is used only for tadka in dal not on chapattis anymore; and salad is avoided.



(Photo: Kulbeer Beera/HT)

(By Ashpuneet Kaur Sandhu)

Mittal family, Patiala
Annual income: Rs 3.5 lakh
Family head: Pradeep Mittal, 39, Punjab State Power Corporation Limited employee
Members: Four – self, wife, daughter and son
Food on the plate: Chapati, dal, vegetable and salad
Quantity: 500g flour, 250g dal, 500g onions and 250g potatoes
Food bought from: Local grocery shop and vegetables from weekly mandi
Who cooks the food: Wife Anita
Cost of the meal: Rs 200 approximately
Dealing with leftovers: Nothing is left as food is cooked as per each meal requirement
Cut downs (if any): Reduced variety in dishes and avoid sweets/ desserts

(Photo: Bharat Bhushan/HT)
(By Navrajdeep Singh)

Dhaliwal family, Chandigarh

Annual income: Rs 1 crore plus

Family head: Rashpal Singh Dhaliwal, 45, president, Chandigarh Group of Colleges, Landran

Members: Four – self, wife Karamjit Kaur, daughter Harsimran and son Arshdeep

Food on the plate: Vegetable manchow soup, salads, pineapple raita, chicken curry, kadhai paneer, sauted vegetables, dal, chapati, vegetable biryani and fruit custard

Quantity: 300g paneer, 500g chicken, 200g dal, groceries (wheat flour, rice, spices), 1 kg mixed vegetables, 250g dairy products and fruit

Food bought from: MGM Store, Sector 8, Chandigarh, and Punjab Store, Sector 9, Chandigarh

Who cooks the food: Cooks and helpers under supervision of wife Karamjit Cost of the meal: Rs 850 approximately

Dealing with leftovers: Food is prepared keeping in mind the family’s daily consumption. Leftovers, if any, are shared with helpers and drivers

Cut downs (if any): No compromise on quality

(Photo: Keshav Singh/HT)
(By Lovedeep Kaur Sidhu)

Bajaj Family, Chandigarh
Annual income: Rs 60 lakh
Family head: Munish Bajaj, 42, businessman who owns a gym and spa chain
Members: Six -- self, father, mother, wife and two sons
Food on the plate: Dal, rice, mixed vegetable, curd and fruit
Quantity: 200g rice, 300g rice, 1kg mixed vegetable, 250g curd and 1 kg fruit
Food bought from: Retail stores such as Big Bazaar in Zirakpur and vegetable market in Sector 26, Chandigarh
Who cooks the food: Wife Shalu
Cost of the meal: Rs 500 approximately
Dealing with leftovers: Cooks as per requirement but if left over either the food is consumed in the next meal or given to the family’s domestic help
Cut downs (if any): The family has cut down on visiting restaurants. No reduction in food being prepared at home

(Photo: Gurpreet Singh/HT)
(By Jyotsana Jalali)

Tangri family, Amritsar

Annual income: Rs 20 lakh

Family head: Sanjeev Tangri, 39, general manager with telecom company

Members: Three – self, wife and daughter

Food on plate: Dry vegetable, rajma, egg curry, rice, chapati, salad and sweet dish

Quantity: 200g rajma, 400g wheat flour, 500g onions, 250g rice, 300g potatoes, dairy products

Food bought from: Local grocery shop

Who cooks the food: Wife Sajal

Cost of meal: Rs 350 approximately

Dealing with leftovers: Nothing is left as food is cooked as per the family’s daily requirement.

Cut downs: Have restricted eating outside and reduced stocking of ration

(By Aseem Bassi)