The Hindu : International / India & World : Mumbai tiffin boxes catch on in Britain

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jul 05, 2005

International

International - India & World

Mumbai tiffin boxes catch on in Britain

Steven Morris

LONDON: It could be the end of that very modern gastronomic problem — the takeaway curry that leaks out of its foil tray on the way home.

Regulars at a popular restaurant in Bristol in western England are using tiffins to take away their food in a safe and environmentally sound way.

Over the past year the One Stop Thali Cafe has been inviting people to join its tiffin club. For GBP20 the curry lover gets a stainless steel tiffin tower and his first meal. Thereafter they can go down to the cafe, or any other restaurant, and take away food in their very own tiffin.

Jim Pizer, owner of the cafe, came up with the idea when he visited Mumbai in search of spice boxes. His supplier showed him the latest chunky insulated tiffin and wondered if the people of Bristol would be interested.

The tiffin system began in Mumbai at the end of the 19th century when British and Parsi communities felt the need to have hot lunches delivered to their workplaces. There are still thousands of tiffin deliverers in the city, finding the recipients for the meals using an elaborate colour-coded system.

Two tiffin carriers were invited to the wedding of Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall after sending the couple gifts.

Mr. Pizer brought a small batch back to the U.K. and they flew off the shelves. In the past 18 months he has sold around 1,500 and estimates that 200 persons a week get takeaways from his restaurant using them. ``I wasn't sure that people would go for it because of the initial outlay but people seem to love it,'' he said.

Some regulars come into the restaurant every other night and get the four compartments of their tiffins refilled with three types of curry and a helping of rice.

Because the tiffins are insulated the food stays warm for two or three hours, making them ideal for picnics and fishing trips.

Mr. Pizer said: ``It's the sort of thing which could spread — after all it's much better than losing half of your meal as you walk home and it saves putting more polystyrene or foil into landfills.''

- Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005

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