Topic started by Makoto Honjo (@ ngate.sumitomocorp.co.jp) on Thu May 25 03:40:59 .
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

I am told that Tifan is something distinctly different from Tiffin, and that Tifan is an original Tamil word -- not an English derivative. Could anyone give me a clear reading on the subject?

Responses:

• From: Arimasen (@ 1cust240.tnt6.atl1.da.uu.net) on: Thu May 25 12:30:30 EDT 2000
  
  oh no no tamils dont know how to pronounce english ao they mess up english both are same
  Tiffin is right word ,Tifan is wrong.
  who told you such a wrong idea, just slap him
  on his face...LOL
  
  
• From: prakash (@ hide212.nhs.uk) on: Thu Jun 22 08:51:46 EDT 2000
  
  remember kollangudi karuppayi in AAnpavam-she pronounced it as "Dippanu"-it was quite sweet to listen to her pronounce the word!
  
  
• From: aarthi (@ ip211.minneapolis6.mn.pub-ip.psi.net) on: Fri Jun 23 12:55:58 EDT 2000
  
  I know that there has been a derivation from "tea and bun"
  Which is the breakfast for a lot of people.
  I would say that it was a convenient derivation from these two different english words.
  
  
• From: JayBee (@ sp-74-44.tm.net.my) on: Sun Jul 16 09:48:46 EDT 2000
  
  The question was put in the Agathiyar forum and it was answered thus:
  
  From: makoto.honjo@sumitomocorp.co.jp
  Date: Thu, 25 May 2000 16:25:56 +0900
  Subject: Could you help resolve a question?
  
  
  Several Indian afficionados here in Tokyo have been discussing what
  your typical South Indian food was and what they were called. I
  think we have resolved that what is called Veg Thali in Northern
  India and "Sappadhu" (I guess phonetically Romanizing it could
  yield something somewhat different) in Tamil would be the more
  formal version of South Indian food, and that "Tiffin" would be the
  more snack type typical South Indian food.
  
  There is some argument going on as to what "Tifan" constitutes. Is
  Tifan the same thing as Tiffin or is it something entirely
  different? Is Tifan an original Tamil word or is it some
  derivative from the English word Tiffin?
  <<<<
  
  In the past, the food habits were different among
  different classes of people. Some classes of people used
  to take breakfast with 'palakaaram' -ittili, thOsai, etc.
  In the Chettinadu area, breakfast is still known as
  'palaaram saappiduRathu'.
  In other words, breakfast was not very heavy and
  consisted of 'snacks' and coffee. It was indeed 'breaking fast',
  in its truest sense. Its also popularly known as 'pasiyaaRuthal'.
  'PasiyaaRuthal' stands for 'breakfast' among many Tamils.
  There were many people who used to eat rice which
  had been cooked the previous day and soaked in water.
  This was known as 'palzhaiyathu' or 'niiraagaaram'.
  There were other classes who used to do proper
  cooking in the morning and eat a considerably heavy
  breakfast with rice, saambaar, rasam, etc.
  They do not eat a heavy lunch in the mid-day.
  It is made up of light 'palakaaram's like vadai, etc.
  
  This is one part of the story.
  We come to the second.
  
  The British have their idiosyncracies. One among
  them is the tea and tiffin. This is at 4-00pm. Snacks-
  usually cakes and biscuits- and tea are taken. 'Snack'
  was a term that was made popular during the later part
  of the 20th century by the Americans. In the early days,
  the word 'tiffin' was commonly used. In schools,
  'Tiffin-time' was given which is now known as 'recess-time'.
  A canteen was known as the 'tiffin shed' in those days.
  'Canteen' became popular during the Second World war.
  Those Tamils who had the habit of taking light
  food during lunch-time or at 4-00pm, called it as 'tiffin'.
  They borrowed it from the British.
  The working hours of Indian government service,
  schools, businesses, etc., were greatly contributive to
  this habit. People would take a heavy breakfast and go to
  work at 10-00 am. They would pack some snacks like vadai
  etc., in a small vessel and carry it to work. At mid-day,
  they would eat this snack. The small vesssel which was used
  to carry the food was called 'tiffin-box'.
  By and large, any snack with coffee came to be called
  as 'tiffin'.
  It finally became Tamilised as 'diban' or 'tiban'.
  
  Regards
  
  JayBee
  >>>>
  
  If you could provide an authoritative understanding to this, so
  that the matter could be put to rest, I would be most obliged.
  
  Makoto Honjo
  
  
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• From: Selva (@ 203.124.208.194) on: Sat May 11 05:41:38
  
  Honjo,
  As far as my knowledge of Tamil food goes, Tifan is derived from Tiffin. Tiffin has it's origin in the the British period when english customs where picked-up by Indians and localised.
  
  regards,
  Selva.
  
  
  

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