Serving those who serve the community: the Auroville lunch scheme

Lunch is an important element in any person’s daily schedule and The Mother knew how time and energy consuming it could be to shop and cook a balanced meal for oneself. She wanted common dining facilities to be provided for the residents and this ideal has been translated partly into everyday reality. 

The City Services Lunch Scheme began more than 10 years ago as a way of enlarging the in-kind maintenance system. It was developed to help those working in the services to supplement the monthly maintenance which was not enough to cover the basic needs of living and working here. Like the Pour Tous in-kind maintenance today, the lunch scheme can be availed by all Aurovilians and Newcomers who work at a service unit at least half a day daily. 

Those in the Lunch Scheme can either eat lunch at one of dining areas in the scheme or take it away in a tiffin.   It cannot be redeemed in any other way. 

At present, the Solar Kitchen, PTDC, Aurelec, Right Path Cafeteria at Visitors Center, Solitude Farm, Well Café, Neem Tree, and Annan at Bharat Nivas are in the scheme and offer different menus to suit the palette of the multicultural population of Auroville. At the Pour Tous Distribution Centre (PTDC)  the varied menu includes choices of vegan, dairy or egg dishes from around the world prepared by the team of multicultural chefs in the PTDC kitchen. The calzone on Saturdays and the sushi on Tuesdays are a given, according to one Aurovilian, who also confided that he would have liked to eat the buffet at Aurelec kitchen sometimes, but found the distance a hassle. 

Since the PTDC team is not constant (a volunteer chef could leave after a limited period of time) some dishes could suddenly vanish off the menu, like the Kimbap Korean platter loved by many, and equally exciting new dishes, like the current zucchini tempura, could arrive and become regulars. The soups are always fresh and tasty and so is the choice of salads according to Christel, a newcomer who works at Marika’s Nursing Home and at Upcycling. “Of course, the food on the lunch menu depends on what comes into the kitchen that morning”, she says with a grin. 

The popularity of the Solar Kitchen lunch has continued unabated due to its winning combination of taste, variety, and wholesomeness. In February and March this year the Dining Hall catered to approximately 1200 daily lunch consumers, out of which the lunch scheme members numbered 335. In recent years more and more Auroville restaurants have offered a varied menu for the ‘lunch schemers’. 

The Right Path Café caters mainly to tourists and this is the reason why only up to 40 people can be accommodated on the Lunch Scheme list here. The Lunch Scheme provides  a choice of the Healthy Plate, the Mini Meal, and the Vegan Salad which, despite their austere names are sumptuous and delicious options drawn from European and Indian cuisines. Most dishes are prepared with organic vegetables and grains grown on the Auroville farms, which makes the price tag go up a notch. 

The need to provide wholesome and tasty meals is, however a challenge at the budget price specified by the Lunch Scheme. Some restaurants specify that lunch schemers can only eat certain items on the menu, while those restaurants that cannot absolutely manage within the budget ask the consumers on the lunch scheme to pay a little bit extra. 

Another way to keep down costs is to use ingredients according to their seasonal supply. Non-commercial establishments like the Solar Kitchen and PTDC do this. If there is an excess of an item, they incorporate that in their menu for a limited time. The Friday cottage cheese and vegetable sauce (paneer masala) appreciated by many students and teachers at Future school, for instance, appeared only on a few Fridays in the school year. “It is an expensive dish and we make it for special occasions only. But if we have excess milk we gladly offer the paneer dish,” says Angelika, the Solar Kitchen executive. For her, choice and variation within the Solar Kitchen meal system are important; they cannot be sacrificed on the altar of cost

While PTDC, Right Path Café at Visitors Center, and Solar Kitchen have a wider consumer base, smaller dining facilities such as the Neem Tree are increasing their lunch reach. Located centrally, behind the Auroville Library, the Neem Tree is about 2 years old and is proving popular, especially at breakfast and dinner.

The menu at Neem Tree is varied (mainly south and north Indian) and healthy. It is also affordable within the range of Rs 80 to 100, with customized smoothies and juices to refresh taste buds. However, “at present we have only 8 people on our lunch scheme list,” reports Harsha, the person-in-charge. “This could be because people are unaware of the fact that we offer it.” The lack of a proper sun shade may also be a reason why not many people on the scheme eat their lunch there. 

Hopefully, more Auroville restaurants and community dining areas will offer the Lunch Scheme as a way of providing support for those who are serving the community, so keeping alive The Mother’s vision of providing community eating facilities for all residents, irrespective of their financial resources.