Being a lone North Indian in a class full of Hyderabadi Telugus had its own advantages. Everyone was always curious about your culture. They loved your language. They loved your food. “I will cut my arm for your mum’s Roti Sabzi” said SriBhavya Veerabomma of 9th Standard Division B. I loved being a North Indian. The only North Indian.

12:30 Lunch Break and we would open the Tiffins made by our mummies. The waft from my grub would reach the corners of the classroom. I was bombarded with “What did Mum give you today?” questions. I loved being the celebrity of the classroom. I loved having the most unique dabba. The smell, the taste, the sharing, the caring and the satisfaction I would see on my friends’ faces. It was a different high. Mom’s Dal was famous all over Chinmaya Vidyalaya.

I passed school in 2009, joined an Engineering College where I had to survive on hostel food for 4 years. I hated it. There’s a reason they call it The Mess Food. I missed being the Tiffin Celebrity. I missed Maa. I missed her Tiffin.I missed Homemade food. I missed it all so much. Maa was so Indian that she even managed to Indianise Pizza by adding a layer of homemade pickle. I absolutely loved it. Maa’s food was tongue heaven.

I got placed at an MNC in Mumbai. Mumbai was an amalgamation of all ethnicities. No two people were the same. All kinds of people from all walks of life. All the languages, cultures, castes, traditions convoluted and formed one big entity which we called The Spirit of Mumbai. Food was abundant here. But Nothing like Maa.

I had a cook here who made me food every morning. She was amazing. However, I always found something missing. Probably because she cooked for most of my colleagues at work and mine was not the most unique Tiffin anymore. I missed being The Tiffin Celebrity.

Dissatisfied with the cook, I decided to try something new. I searched for Online Tiffin Services and happened to click on www.happygrub.in. Having a glance at their website,I got to know that they stress very hard on good quality and healthy food along with home made food.Something felt right and I subscribed to their Monthly Tiffin Service.

An extremely attractive box was delivered to me on the 1st day.The containers inside were sealed very nicely and the level of professionalism made me more excited about the food. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much. Lunchtime and I opened my dabba. I was stunned. Nostalgia. The waft. I never thought I could experience the same again. It took me back to my Chinmaya Vidyalaya days. I felt like a Tiffin Hero again. The waft reached the corners of my office canteen. All my colleagues came to me from around the corner asking inquisitively what I had ordered and from where.It was the same feeling again. This time in a corporate setting. I was smiling. I was childishly happy. I had become the Tiffin Celebrity again. Thank You so much HappyGrub! You are the next best thing to homemade food.

P.S.: I found my true calling and quit my MNC job later to become a full time food connoisseur.