Healthy tiffins give way to snacks and junk food

Along with the traditional street snacks, junk food is replacing healthy school tiffins. Photo: Alasdair Macdonald

The tiffin period is that magical moment every school-going child looks forward to.

"Only after promising of a tasty tiffin, could I take my little girl to school," says Nilu, mother of Shyama who has just started going to school. "For her, the quality of tiffin she carries to class is a matter of pride."

Nurunnahar, mother of a five-year old says: "We are living in a time where people like to show off and children are no different. Sometimes, they share their food with others. So I give my daughter a little more than what she needs.

'I try to give her favourite food but sometimes it's quite impossible to make her happy."

Historically, tiffin has been a mode of bonding and camaraderie between children.

Sadia Khan, a clinical psychologist, pointed out that kids become more social by sharing their tiffin.

Some schools provide daily snacks for students in exchange of an annual fee while some have own canteens. However, the hundreds of kindergartens across the city seldom keep provisions for tiffins and their students bring food from home.

The children have varied and interesting views on school snacks. It is also noticeable how tastes differ among students of different economic sections of the society.

"Usually, I take egg fried rice with kebab for snacks everyday. I prefer this because I don't get time for breakfast," says Sarah, a student of class IV of a posh private school in Dhanmondi.

"Sometimes I bring noodles and maybe sandwich with mayonnaise on other days. And I don't like to share my tiffin," said Anila, an 11-year-old.

"I love to eat Peter's burger and soft drink. My younger brother likes to have singara and chop from the canteen," says Mahmud, who studies in class X at St. Joseph High School.

"Hindu students, like myself, face various difficulties while eating at the school canteens. Most items there are prepared with beef," complained Hemanta.

"My favourite food is the chatpati sold infront of the school gate," says Kamal.

Street food with seriously dubious hygienic character like chatney, aachar, chatpati, jhalmuri, chanachur, phuchka and ice-cream are quite popular in most of the schools and are traditionally sold at the school gates.

"I don't bother whether it's hygienic or not. What matters to me is the taste, and the food on the streets are the best," says Saber of Dhanmondi Boys High School.

For the teachers, it sometimes becomes very difficult to control the children during tiffin periods.

"The little ones often want to have their snacks inside the class room rather than going out. At times, some even try to grab the tiffin belonging to others," says Anamika, a kindergarten teacher.

Many parents prefer to give some money to their wards to buy tiffin.

"I have to rush to the office in the morning, so I can't prepare the tiffin for my kids. I give them money instead so that they can have something from the school canteen," says Rahela, a servicewoman.

But Maria Gomes, a mother of two, says those who give money, unintentionally put pressure on other parents.

"I cannot always afford to give my children extra money for tiffin. So I prepare homemade food for them. But they want whatever they see other students taking. It's quite embarrassing for me sometimes."

"My son goes to an English medium school, and it takes Tk 20 to reach school and back everyday. To give him extra money for tiffin and a soft drink daily is certainly beyond most of us," said Morshed Khan of Lalmatia.

While some children dwell on their favourite menu for tiffin, many, many others don't even understand the word.

"I haven't had tiffin for as long as I can remember. My father died when I was three and my mother simply couldn't afford it," said Dipak. "I have rice before heading for school and on returning home, I eat rice again."