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.
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)Sa
mra 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
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)D
haliwal 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)Ta
ngri 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)