Lay offs and pay cuts among urban Indian professionals have catapulted Udipi joints and budget dabba services on to the elite eater's radar. Aastha Atray Banan explores the recent world of corporate bailout packages, the all-new rice plate rage and change of venue to the office canteen

Overheard at a popular and packed-to-the-brim Lower Parel Konkani restaurant: "A week ago, I told my

Media Sales Officer Abhishek Salwan has ditched a Copper Chimney meal for a roadside Vada Pav. pic/shadab khan

girlfriend about my 20% pay cut, and we shouldn't be lunching at expensive joints every day," said a formally attired entrepreneur to a bunch of friends.
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"So what's it going to be now? Idli-Sambhar?" they asked him. "No. We still eat at the same places. But now, she insists on footing the bill!" This might be a one-off anecdote considering most urban professionals have been hit by recession, and not all of us have loaded partners who can bail us out.

Pay cuts and layoffs have forced India's working class to rethink their daily expenditure chart, and take some tough decisions should a healthy-though-not-half-as-exciting dabba replace the daily order of Spaghetti Bolognese?

A Vada Pav will do
Mumbai-based Media Sales Officer Abhishek Salwan and his friends are keeping a track of their daily expenses. The frequent lunch outings to Copper Chimney at Worli or Spaghetti Kitchen at High Street Phoenix have been dropped. A Rs 5 Vada Pav at a roadside stall or a burger from a fast food chain is good enough.
"It was important that I took the decision because I used to spend about Rs 300 on lunch each day. Now, I manage within Rs 100," says the 25 year-old. Lifestyle writer Anamika Butalia agrees. She has discovered a cheap but stylish alternative to gorging on expensive Risotto. "My job keeps me on-the-go. So, I need a lunch that's inexpensive but filling.
Prithvi Cafu00e9 is my new haunt. Instead of the Rs 350 Risotto, I can order four Salami Sandwiches and three plates of Chaat, and still shell out just Rs 200. Besides, it's such a great place to hang out at," she says of the quaint wooden table and stone bench outdoor cafe that's part of Juhu's Prithvi theatre campus.

The Udipi is back
Abandoning hip but expensive launch joints has led to a rise in the popularity of Udupi joints. Known for their quick, fuss-free service and delicious fare, Udupis that have long been famous for the quintessential Rice Plate, are suddenly on the elite eater's radar. KS Narayanswamy, the man behind Mani's at Matunga, the legendary lunch home, vouches for the fact that their lunches are better than home-cooked meals. A special thali served on a plaintain leaf with unlimited rice, chapatis, curd, papadam, chaas, 3 vegetables, rasam, sambhar, and pickle costs Rs 60. "You can eat a Rice Plate for just Rs 30. If you cook at home, you will spend so much more."

Dabbawalas rule
Ankush Balshiram Medge, a team worker at the Mumbai Dabbawala Association, says he has noticed a steady rise in the number of dabbas they deliver every day. In the last few months, Mumbai's dabbawalas who ferry close to two-and-a-half lakh dabbas a day, have added more than 3,000 dabbas to their load.
"When the recession had just hit, dabbas decreased since people were losing their jobs but in the last two months, those who've never eaten out of a dabba, have ordered one," he says. Sandeep Mathur is one of them. The diet dabba he ordered six months ago costs him close to Rs 2,000 a month.
"It's healthy, so I lose weight and save money. What an idea!" laughs the 35 year-old banking executive. He says how most of his colleagues who used to head to China Gate at Worli or Atria Mall for lunch, now prefer cheaper options.
In the last few months, Mumbai's dabbawalas who ferry close to two-and-a-half lakh dabbas a day, have added more than 3,000 dabbas to their load. "When the recession had just hit, dabbas decreased since people were losing their jobs but in the last two months, those who've never eaten out of a dabba, have ordered one," says Ankush Balshiram Medge, team worker at the Mumbai Dabbawala Association.
Dr Rohit Sane of Bombay Meal, a healthy dabba service that delivered to your cubicle says they delivered around 50 dabbas a month ago, and that's moved up to 250 dabbas a day.

Ghar ka khana at the office canteen
But for many, or ordering a dabba can't compare to the tiffin mummy packs. Lakshmipriya Nair's mum wakes up at 6 am every day so that she has enough time to prepare her daughter's lunch dabba in time for her to leave the house at 8.15 am to catch a local from Dombivali station. Lakshmi, who works for an real estate magazine, says the logic is simple.
"When you order in, they send you quantities you can't stomach. My mother knows exactly what I want and how much I eat. So, my lunch is suited to my likes, and I send up saving Rs 3,000 a month," says the 23 year-old, who often shares her dabba with colleagues when they get tired of the office canteen menu.
The editorial editorial team at a national daily,u00a0 that used to gorge on pizzas that cost no less than Rsu00a0 250 for an 12-inch, now prefer eating Indianised pizza their office canteen has decided to whip up. "We'd spend half a grand on two pizzas. Now, we can order four for Rs 100, and share them," says a reporter.

In Bangalore
The office canteen is the newu00a0favourite hangout for colleagues

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