Tiffin Is As Tiffin Does

So I have branched off from my bento box collecting to include tiffins.  According to some minimal research a tiffin is to India as a bento is to Japan.  The word can mean both the container and the food within.

Seems in India there are tiffin wallahs who pick up the freshly packed tiffins from the homes and deliver them to the workers in their offices.  They work with such speed and accuracy it's a mystery how the proper tiffin is delivered to the right person, and they arrive fresh and hot.  Since the tiffin is not insulated this can be important.

These are the first tiffins I have added to my bento collection. I bought them from Cost Plus World Market. The round one is probably large enough to hold a fairly substantial lunch of rice, a few pieces of meat, fish or tofu, and a selection of side dishes and salads, held in those little silicone cups so popular with bento lovers. 

The rectangle one is much smaller, not much bigger than a 3 x 5 card an only a couple inches deep.  It might be large enough to hold a snack, a lunch for a very young child or perhaps a muffin or a few pancakes, sausages and some fruit and yogurt for a "brown bag" breakfast.  It would also make a good companion for a smaller bento, one that's not quite big enough to carry all that you need for your lunch.

But I must admit both are extremely cute and that is the real criterion, no?  So now I have to get my act together and get some bento or tiffin appropriate foods on the menu and put these little guys to work.  If I pack anything especially delicious or photogenic I'll be sure to let you know.

Quotable quotes; in the category  Put THAT in your lexicon and speak it!

"Or just be intelligent and Nigella about it."   Lalita Iyer in a June 2, 2012 Times of India article about the health minister's demand for nutritious lunches for school children.