When omelettes become too expensive

Eggs for breakfast are pretty universal. Be it the tycoons cocooned behind electric fences and guards in fortresses in Defence or the lower-middle income chap who has a quick bite in the morning before setting off on his two-wheeler, omelettes are a fairly ubiquitous breakfast. A quick informal poll reveals that the most common omelette type is one with two eggs, some onion, and a tomato. Using data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, the cost of an omelette is estimated assuming the ingredients are two eggs, half an onion and half a tomato. Prices of tomatoes have always been volatile, going as low as Rs30 per kg to easily crossing Rs300. The price of a dozen eggs has increased by over Rs100 over the last year. The cost of the Pakistani beverage of choice, a cup of tea, has increased by Rs10 over the previous year, and a packet of small plain white bread has risen by Rs20. Overall, in the last year, the cost of one person’s breakfast increased by Rs35-40. Imagine a ubiquitous household from any Pakistani saas-bahu drama that is currently being aired. There are the adult sons, the frivolous daughter, the nice and not-so-nice daughters-in-law, cranky but wise elderly grandparents, the parents and a few random kids for flavour. Each morning a big enough breakfast is cooked to serve 10 people. An increase of Rs40 per person increases their breakfast cost by Rs400 per day.