We don’t appreciate the worth of days until they pass. Similarly, we don’t realise the value of basic things until they are sold to us at ridiculous prices. Remember that Sabyasachi saree that looked exactly like the ones your Nani or Dadi had?
A Desi Twitter user stumbled upon something familiar, but this time in a foreign land. Although most of us are unaware of the origins of the staple steel tiffin boxes, they have always been seen as ‘our thing’ in India. And now our beloved dabbas are apparently back in style and are being sold in a Hipster store in Europe.
Got bullied in school for brining lunch in this only to find it being sold in hipster stores in Europe two decades later 🥲 pic.twitter.com/2MPEhJk2gC
— Madhura Rao (@madhurarrao) April 16, 2022
Naturally, other Desi Twitter users rushed to the thread to share their own childhood stories. In fact, some of them have confessed that they still use the same decked steel lunchboxes.
You got bullied for this? Why? Wasn’t this common in school for India? Or was this Pune specific? 😳
— Yogesh Gadgil (@YogeshGadgil) April 16, 2022
This was 2002-2005, Bombay. The cool kids were switching from steel dabbas to colourful plastic ones or buying lunch from the canteen 😬
— Madhura Rao (@madhurarrao) April 16, 2022
Even now I’m bringing own lunch to work. Now using thermal tiffin so my food warm when lunch time. Nothing to be ashamed pic.twitter.com/EVkcJOjDRp
— The other side of me (@Klik25) April 17, 2022
I still carry my office lunch by choice in this dabba even though i have so many tûpperware dabbas.
— Snigdha (Rain & Rainbow) (@vibgyorinrain) April 17, 2022
Here are some traditional German variations. Upper left one used to be taken to school empty and kids would get soup from school served in them. pic.twitter.com/I63N1KCD5b
— Simi B Good (@SimiBGood) April 17, 2022
My mother never gave us plastic tiffins. She always said it is not safe to put warm food in plastic. I was probably the only one in my class up to the college, bringing steel lunch box
— VAISHALI SAHU (@vs_gangotri) April 17, 2022
Here in IKEA also pic.twitter.com/X9MRbhQRdD
— Manan Bhan (@maybeEcosystems) April 16, 2022
My God I saw this sold in hema and I was like why are these Europeans selling this for 17 eur
— Tyas Ayuningtyas, PhD (@tyas2709) April 17, 2022
Our lunch box in 1996-99. pic.twitter.com/Kg4T0k6nLm
— King Neptune (@OrderOfNeptune) April 17, 2022
Some kids brought them to school in 🇲🇺 too (especially if it was during a religious Indian celebration). While we did not make fun of them, we thought it was different. U R right… they’re POPULAR & expensive in 🇰🇷 too. We have similar versions in 🇰🇷 ( a little fancy). pic.twitter.com/s8yjUiZkUo
— Natacha M. (@natacha_moor) April 17, 2022
LOL, many Americans will think that is a very fancy Boy Scout mess kit. pic.twitter.com/ObYL46lR0P
— Tora Yome (@ToraYome1) April 17, 2022
Issi me lunch le jaaya karte the pic.twitter.com/8m9D99fVXI
— Gautam (@happy_face____) April 18, 2022
I had a mild heartattack when I saw these prices at 60 Euro …time to take out our old dabaas
— Narenvk (@Narenvk2) April 17, 2022
Me too. I cried and cried. Irfan Khan lunchbox movie was a big boost although I was already in university by then. Same things available here in hipster American stores.
— Roni (@Roni70218581) April 17, 2022
This is the MOST Indian thing ever 🥺🥺 so nostalgic 🥰
— Sumedha Mishra (@Sumedha_Mishra_) April 16, 2022
All I can think about now is how we, sneakily, tried to open these boxes before lunchtime in class.