How Dabbawalas Shaped Mumbai's Culinary Identity

Mumbai is a city that embodies every different facet of life. You will see some of the tallest skyscrapers in the country on one side and the largest slum in the world on the other. It is undoubtedly the city where a lot of dreams are fulfilled and shattered at the same time. With so many people living in the city and migrating every year, the dabbawalas of Mumbai have seamlessly been delivering home-cooked lunch boxes to these people for many years. In this world of technological revolution, dabbawalas have built a commendable network without the aid of any technology or smart AI tool. The accuracy rate to date remains extremely high and they have been successfully able to beat some of the most famous delivery services in the country when it comes to time effectiveness.

Also Read: Tiffin Talk: Unpacking The Many Layers Of The Indian Dabba

Who Are Dabbawalas 

The dabbawalas in Mumbai can be credited to the rise of food delivery and tiffin services in India. It was only after the concept became so popular in Mumbai that people from other parts of the country also started adapting it. Not only is it a great way of giving meals to people who do not know how to cook or don't have time but also creates immense employment opportunities. It is a budget-friendly option to eat good food without spending a lot of time on cooking and preparing food. The word dabbawala is a mixture of two words in which Dabba means a box and wala means a carrier or a person. The word simply translates to the one who carries the lunch boxes. 

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One of the most common visual images of these dabbawalas that appear in everyone's mind is a man carrying huge aluminium Tiffin boxes. These aluminium Tiffin boxes have different layers all of which have different dishes. A balanced meal is prepared by offering rice, roti, sabji, and one gravy vegetable along with salad. On special occasions like festivals or once a week some sweet dishes are also given in these dabbas. 

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How Does The System Work

The most common way of transporting these tiffin boxes to different offices and workplaces is by collecting these dabbas from a particular place where everything is prepared. The meals are generally prepared by women and delivered by the men of the family or somebody who has been recruited for the same purpose. The route of each Tiffin box is denoted by the symbol that it has on the top of it. 

This is an easy way of making the delivery person understand that the Tiffin box has to be taken without having to tell them about each Tiffin box separately. After delivering these dabbas to the assigned places, the Tiffin boxes are collected post-lunch and the same process is repeated once again. By looking at the symbols of these lunch boxes, they're taken back to the place they were collected from. This promotes a seamless way of transportation of the boxes without having to make unnecessary calls or enquiries.

The most beautiful thing about the Dabba system in Mumbai is how everyone eats the same meal in harmony and complies with the menu decided by the cooks. Most of us have thrown tantrums as children as we didn't like whatever was cooked at home, but it is funny how out of necessity people have to accept whatever is available or provided.

Teamwork And Efficiency 

The rise of dabbawalas in Mumbai has led to the creation of a very distinct food culture in Mumbai. Food is one of the most integral parts of our lives and eating a balanced diet is extremely important especially if you are working regularly. Dabbawalas have been a blessing in the lives of many people who are doing corporate jobs in Mumbai and do not have the time to prepare meals. These meals are healthy and fresh. Also, affordability is another important factor that has led to the popularity of dabbawalas in Mumbai. Instead of eating fast food or street food regularly, which doesn't give you the basic nutritional requirement, eating a properly balanced meal from these dabbawalas is always a more feasible option. 

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The dabbawalas generally collect dabbas from the dispatch centre from 6 AM to 9 AM and deliver them till lunchtime. Every meal facility centre has at least 25 to 30 dabbawalas all of which are responsible for carrying 35 to 40 tiffin boxes at a time. This is a very responsible work and it is safe to say that most of these people are masters of their craft.