5 ms·

What you're seeing is a low standard of living in action. There's enough surplus labor in India to deliver food from homes to offices everyday. You could do thi

What you're seeing is a low standard of living in action. There's enough surplus labor in India to deliver food from homes to offices everyday. You could do this in the US as well- but be prepared to pay however much labor and transportation costs. Average productivity in the US is also much higher than in India (that's why wages are higher), but Americans are no more productive when delivering and preparing this kind/quality of food, so this is unaffordable and you have to settle for lower quality lunches (or be willing to pay more).

potatolicious 16y ago
I wasn't talking about food delivery - where I grew up you packed your own lunches, but generally people had much better food for lunch than what you'd see in your average North American office. Employers/schools also took more care in providing the equipment/facilities to heat and cook lunches (far in excess of microwaves, anyhow). It really speaks to a cultural difference - I feel that fast food culture has trained Americans to tolerate crappy food for lunch (or splurging on eating out). Lunch on a work day is not something to be savored, but rather something to be done with. IMHO there's something America can stand to learn here.
- nradov 16y ago
  What is there to learn? There is no way I'm going to waste my time packing a box lunch regardless of what appliances the company provides to heat it up.
  - kamaal 16y ago
    Its about priorities. Lunch/Food is something that impacts your health over time. I know time is a priority, but if you are not healthy nothing else matters. A sick persons time hasn't much value.
  - kailashbadu 16y ago
    It's not your fault. It's just the difference between the culture in which dining is an important experience and the culture where dining is merely a chore.
  - w1ntermute 16y ago
    Your attitude is exactly the point. In many other countries, they _would_ spend their time packing a box lunch. As an American by birth, I didn't understand this either until I went abroad. At first, it was simply shocking how much time/effort went into food preparation/consumption. But over time, I came to appreciate (and missed upon my return) the much more nuanced approach taken to cuisine in some other countries.
    - frelpen 16y ago
      In India, the male worker doesn't have to spend his time. It's the wife/mother that does it. Even if the woman works, it's assumed she'll cook 3 hot meals a day.
- xnerdr 16y ago
  What you are seeing is minimum wage laws in action. They drive up unemployment during difficult times (recession) and should be lowered according to economic theory. But they aren't as its a sign of weakness. If the minimum wage was $2 an hour say, a vast number of currently unemployed workers would quickly find themselves with work to earn honest money, delivering you delicious home cooked meals.
  - w1ntermute 16y ago
    > If the minimum wage was $2 an hour say, a vast number of currently unemployed workers would quickly find themselves with work to earn honest money, delivering you delicious home cooked meals. Did you not read his comment at all? I don't see how else you could've missed this, as it was at the beginning of the first sentence: > I wasn't talking about food delivery
asdkl234890 16y ago
What you're seeing is a lack of food culture. America just does not have good, healthy, delicious, food for the poor.
- kamaal 16y ago
  I don't think that's true. Speaking of India, I can tell you since I'm from India... You can't possibly imagine the food crisis here. We are nation of people with millions of people not having access to even to meal even once a day. And that is not by option, but they simply have no way out. We have farmers committing suicide almost everyday, there is no water or very scanty amounts of water in many parts of the country. Unlike the US where is there is proper planning and good infrastructure(Irrigation, equipment, fertilizers, information, equipment etc) for agriculture. Farmers here back in India are purely dependent upon rains(Monsoons) and ancient methods of planting seeds(using cows). The land is often passed on from generations to generation and undergoes division as a part of inheritance due to which most farmers never get a large chunck of land. Adding all this the farmer productivity is very low, there is no support from the government, no rains, no equipment etc etc. And Farmers really are very poor and not as productive as ones in US. And prior to this there was slavery sort of set up, where you give away your whole life for a land lord. The country is very big, and there are too many people. The prices keep on rising. The middle class can't afford even grains and vegetables let alone meat and other stuff. The poor hardly get a meal a day. And few just eat a single roti(Indian flat bread) with salt for the whole day. Compared to this the Americans are feasting everyday. AMERICANS ARE LUCKY, I repeat AMERICANS ARE LUCKY. You are lucky to be eating stomach full everyday, You are lucky to be worrying about iPhones and not hunger and diseases. Be grateful to God and thankful. There are many places in the world where there aren't even the most basic necessities what you take for granted.
  - kailashbadu 16y ago
    You are talking about prosperity not the food culture. Yes most Indians still may have hard time making their ends meet but launch and dinner are an important element of Indian culture. Launch time and dinner time are important parts of your daily schedule even if your day job is to plough your own fields.
mahyarm 16y ago
You can say the same for numerous fast food workers.

potatolicious 16y ago

I wasn't talking about food delivery - where I grew up you packed your own lunches, but generally people had much better food for lunch than what you'd see in your average North American office. Employers/schools also took more care in providing the equipment/facilities to heat and cook lunches (far in excess of microwaves, anyhow). It really speaks to a cultural difference - I feel that fast food culture has trained Americans to tolerate crappy food for lunch (or splurging on eating out). Lunch on a work day is not something to be savored, but rather something to be done with. IMHO there's something America can stand to learn here.

nradov 16y ago
What is there to learn? There is no way I'm going to waste my time packing a box lunch regardless of what appliances the company provides to heat it up.
- kamaal 16y ago
  Its about priorities. Lunch/Food is something that impacts your health over time. I know time is a priority, but if you are not healthy nothing else matters. A sick persons time hasn't much value.
- kailashbadu 16y ago
  It's not your fault. It's just the difference between the culture in which dining is an important experience and the culture where dining is merely a chore.
- w1ntermute 16y ago
  Your attitude is exactly the point. In many other countries, they _would_ spend their time packing a box lunch. As an American by birth, I didn't understand this either until I went abroad. At first, it was simply shocking how much time/effort went into food preparation/consumption. But over time, I came to appreciate (and missed upon my return) the much more nuanced approach taken to cuisine in some other countries.
  - frelpen 16y ago
    In India, the male worker doesn't have to spend his time. It's the wife/mother that does it. Even if the woman works, it's assumed she'll cook 3 hot meals a day.
xnerdr 16y ago
What you are seeing is minimum wage laws in action. They drive up unemployment during difficult times (recession) and should be lowered according to economic theory. But they aren't as its a sign of weakness. If the minimum wage was $2 an hour say, a vast number of currently unemployed workers would quickly find themselves with work to earn honest money, delivering you delicious home cooked meals.
- w1ntermute 16y ago
  > If the minimum wage was $2 an hour say, a vast number of currently unemployed workers would quickly find themselves with work to earn honest money, delivering you delicious home cooked meals. Did you not read his comment at all? I don't see how else you could've missed this, as it was at the beginning of the first sentence: > I wasn't talking about food delivery

asdkl234890 16y ago

What you're seeing is a lack of food culture. America just does not have good, healthy, delicious, food for the poor.

kamaal 16y ago
I don't think that's true. Speaking of India, I can tell you since I'm from India... You can't possibly imagine the food crisis here. We are nation of people with millions of people not having access to even to meal even once a day. And that is not by option, but they simply have no way out. We have farmers committing suicide almost everyday, there is no water or very scanty amounts of water in many parts of the country. Unlike the US where is there is proper planning and good infrastructure(Irrigation, equipment, fertilizers, information, equipment etc) for agriculture. Farmers here back in India are purely dependent upon rains(Monsoons) and ancient methods of planting seeds(using cows). The land is often passed on from generations to generation and undergoes division as a part of inheritance due to which most farmers never get a large chunck of land. Adding all this the farmer productivity is very low, there is no support from the government, no rains, no equipment etc etc. And Farmers really are very poor and not as productive as ones in US. And prior to this there was slavery sort of set up, where you give away your whole life for a land lord. The country is very big, and there are too many people. The prices keep on rising. The middle class can't afford even grains and vegetables let alone meat and other stuff. The poor hardly get a meal a day. And few just eat a single roti(Indian flat bread) with salt for the whole day. Compared to this the Americans are feasting everyday. AMERICANS ARE LUCKY, I repeat AMERICANS ARE LUCKY. You are lucky to be eating stomach full everyday, You are lucky to be worrying about iPhones and not hunger and diseases. Be grateful to God and thankful. There are many places in the world where there aren't even the most basic necessities what you take for granted.
- kailashbadu 16y ago
  You are talking about prosperity not the food culture. Yes most Indians still may have hard time making their ends meet but launch and dinner are an important element of Indian culture. Launch time and dinner time are important parts of your daily schedule even if your day job is to plough your own fields.

mahyarm 16y ago

You can say the same for numerous fast food workers.