Posted on January 14, 2009 - by Amanda

How To Tiffin

Tiffin is properly a British-Indian term for any light meal served at any time. We have encountered it in literature as a light meal prepared and served exactly when a working husband arrives home at the end of his business day. We have adapted it as such in our own lives.

The extreme usefulness of this custom may not be immediately apparent but bear with us. First what and when to serve.

We suggest something nutritious and filling. One of our favorites is sharp white cheddar with crackers or toasted bread and a sliced apple or two. The white cheddar is just slightly sophisticated while still very approachable. Another good option is fresh pretzels with melted butter and cinnamon and sugar. Cookies and milk are ok and popcorn is just barely passable but both will work if you start with a little fresh or canned fruit (peaches seem to be really popular and bananas are always cheap). Pitas and hummus is a  great option as are hot wings or fresh roasted peanuts. Really, any snack will do, just aim for some nutritional balance and something inexpensive.

The when is easy, as soon as possible after the end of the working day. If you are a stay-at-home mom, wife or daughter it is fairly simple to time your preparation to have the food ready as soon as the last family member arrives home. Usually this is around 5 or 6 o’clock in American households. If you are working outside your home the ideal timing would be as soon as possible after you arrive home, preferably no more than ten or fifteen minutes. Since even something as easy as chips and salsa make a good tiffin this shouldn’t be too trying.

Why go to the trouble of shopping for and planning an entire extra meal each day? Well, most of us would do better to eat more, smaller meals each day and most of us arrive home at the end of the day hungry and disconected. A tasty filling meal brings the family back together and soothes rumbling stomachs. But preparing a full-scale meal is just too much to face first thing in the evening. Everyone needs to talk and unwind, if the cheif cook also works outside the home they need more than a moment to recoup before launching into full-scale meal prep. And a full dinner that doesn’t come out of a box takes at least 45 minutes or an hour to get on the table, by that time the teenagers will have devoured a bag of chips or ordered pizza. By planning to feed everyone immediately you buy yourself time to prepare a smaller from-scratch dinner. You might be surprised by how effective and revolutionary this practice can be. We were.