Big lunch vs small food

As we know different countries have different types of cuisines and so is the difference in culture too. Culture and lifestyle are directly related to the type and quantity of food people would eat there. Talking about India and Indian food people usually have three course meal in lunch and sometimes in dinner too. The staple food there consists of rice, lentils, wheat breads (rotis) vegetables. So, a person in routine course eats a full platter which has roti and vegetables to start with and it's followed by lentil curry and rice. Accompaniments like salads, pickles, papadums and buttermilk are usually served with the main meal too.

There is mostly no change in this even if a person is working there. Working people usually carry a four or five compartment tiffin box with them to work. In fact, it's so vital and common for people to have this big lunch that they hire a man for lunch delivery to their office or school. See it for yourself in this video here. Hence, it was really funny and surprising for me to see people having just a sandwich in lunch here; sometimes all they have is a bowl of salad and soup; though it was a part of the culture shock that I had as a new migrant. I would initially cook the normal Indian food in lunch. But as they time passed by I realised, it just doesn't work in this country.

Now, my lunch is the same as other people here and I never feel like having big lunch that I used to have back in India. That raises a question in my mind, 'Was I eating more than required all these years?' 'Are they all eating more than required or it's just Indians who are devoted food lovers?' Indeed, people there eat this quantity and variety even if they leave home for work at 9 am! Some people have this big lunch (read breakfast) as early as 8 am if they have to leave for work at 9 am and if they prefer not to carry anything with them. And during lunch time, they have light snacks and beverages. The surprise factor is not only about the person having lunch this early, but they even get their wives to wake up at 5 am in the morning and prepare the whole menu!

And it's not something out of the way for the wives to do as well as that's in the culture to go up to that extent when it comes to looking after family. My mother prepares this kind of lunch daily by 9 am as my father leaves after having lunch at around 10 am. And I have always loved to have this big lunch when I used to work there. Even today, when I go back home to visit them, I love to have the same kind of lunch. But when I am here, I would always prefer sandwich, soup and salad for lunch. The idea of having the same thing here just doesn't register in my mind.

I believe that's where the culture, lifestyle and surrounding plays a big role.