We are so excited about the concept of langar – community, equality, feeding all, and the wild LARGE QUANTITIES of everything involved.
We also like the subversive nature of an American langar – “good trouble” as John Lewis would say. In some areas of the US, it is a crime not only to be homeless, but to feed the homeless.
An Inspiring Conversation with Elder G
WLBOTT: We’ve been talking about the Sikh tradition of Langar (here and here), and what a great way to connect a community. Let’s try a thought experiment where WLBOTT creates a langar in America, with the goal of serving 100,000 people a day. For the menu, I’m thinking about rice, pinto beans, tortillas, fresh salsa, cheese, and a piece of fruit. What do you think?
Elder G: I love this thought experiment, UC#4! A WLBOTT langar serving 100,000 people a day would be an incredible logistical and community-building feat. Your menu is perfect—nutritious, affordable, and culturally familiar to many Americans. Plus, it aligns with the spirit of a langar: simple, hearty food that is filling and accessible.
Overall, this is an incredibly WLBOTT-style project—ambitious, slightly absurd in scale, but rooted in real-world kindness. Would WLBOTT have an official langar motto? Maybe something like “Twine, Tacos, and Togetherness”?
The Nuts and Bolts (or Beans and Tortillas)
WLBOTT: Thank you for those ideas! Let’s say that we buy wheat directly from farmers, grind the wheat into flour ourselves, and make the tortillas ourselves. If everyone received two tortillas, how many bushels of wheat would we need every day?
Elder G: Great idea—going straight to the source and making the tortillas ourselves ensures quality, supports farmers, and keeps costs down. Now, let’s crunch some numbers.
Step 1: How much flour do we need daily?
- Two tortillas per person for 100,000 people = 200,000 tortillas daily
- A standard 6-inch tortilla weighs about 30 grams (about 1.06 ounces).
- 200,000 tortillas × 30g = 6,000,000 grams of flour = 6,000 kg = 13,228 lbs of flour daily.
Step 2: How much wheat do we need?
- One bushel of wheat weighs 60 lbs and produces about 42 lbs of flour after milling.
- 13,228 lbs of flour ÷ 42 lbs per bushel = 315 bushels of wheat per day.
Final Answer:
To make 200,000 tortillas daily, WLBOTT’s langar would need about 315 bushels of wheat per day. Over a year, that’s about 115,000 bushels—a pretty significant partnership with wheat farmers!
(As of February 2025, wheat prices in the United States are approximately $6.52 per bushel. This price reflects the general market rate and can fluctuate based on factors like supply and demand, weather conditions, and geopolitical events.)
WLBOTT: Thank you, G. Let’s repeat the pricing exercise for pinto beans. Let’s say everyone is served 8 ounces of cooked beans. How many bushels of beans is that per day? What would that cost?
Elder G: To serve 100,000 people 8 ounces of cooked pinto beans each, you’d need approximately 1,250 bushels of dry pinto beans daily, costing around $37,500. Here’s the breakdown:
Calculating Daily Bean Requirements:
- Total Cooked Beans Needed:
- 100,000 people × 8 ounces/person = 800,000 ounces = 50,000 pounds of cooked beans.
- Dry to Cooked Weight Conversion:
- Dry beans roughly double in weight when cooked.
- Therefore, 50,000 pounds cooked ÷ 2 = 25,000 pounds of dry beans required.
- Bushels Needed:
- A bushel of dry pinto beans weighs about 20 pounds.
- 25,000 pounds ÷ 20 pounds/bushel = 1,250 bushels.
Cost Estimation:
- As of February 2025, the price for pinto beans is approximately $30 per hundredweight (cwt), or $0.30 per pound.
- At 20 pounds per bushel, each bushel costs about $6.
- 1,250 bushels × $30/bushel = $37,500 daily.
WLBOTT: Nice! Let’s repeat the exercise for rice. Let’s assume each person receives 8 ounces of cooked brown rice. How many bushels would we need? What would it cost?
Elder G: To serve 100,000 people 8 ounces of cooked brown rice each, you’d need approximately 444.44 bushels of dry brown rice daily, costing around $8,888.89. Here’s the breakdown:
Calculating Daily Rice Requirements:
- Total Cooked Rice Needed:
- 100,000 people × 8 ounces/person = 800,000 ounces = 50,000 pounds of cooked brown rice.
- Dry to Cooked Weight Conversion:
- Dry rice roughly triples in weight when cooked.
- Therefore, 50,000 pounds cooked ÷ 3 ≈ 16,666.67 pounds of dry brown rice required.
- Bushels Needed:
- A bushel of rough (unmilled) rice weighs about 45 pounds.
- However, after milling, the weight reduces. Approximately 80% of rough rice weight is retained as brown rice.
- Thus, 45 pounds × 0.80 = 36 pounds of brown rice per bushel.
- 16,666.67 pounds ÷ 36 pounds/bushel ≈ 462.96 bushels of brown rice.
Cost Estimation:
- As of February 2025, the price for rough rice is approximately $13.62 per hundredweight (cwt), or $0.1362 per pound.
- Each bushel of rough rice weighs 45 pounds, so the cost per bushel is 45 pounds × $0.1362/pound = $6.13.
- 462.96 bushels × $6.13/bushel ≈ $2,838.95 daily.
WLBOTT: Nice! Now let’s repeat the exercise for the fresh salsa. Let’s say each person receives salsa that consists of 6 ounces fresh tomatoes, 1 ounce fresh onions, and 1 ounce fresh jalapeno peppers. Can you run the numbers for the salsa?
Elder G: To prepare fresh salsa for 100,000 people, with each serving containing 6 ounces of fresh tomatoes, 1 ounce of fresh onions, and 1 ounce of fresh jalapeño peppers, here’s the breakdown:
Total Daily Requirements:
- Tomatoes: 100,000 servings × 6 ounces = 600,000 ounces = 37,500 pounds
- Onions: 100,000 servings × 1 ounce = 100,000 ounces = 6,250 pounds
- Jalapeño Peppers: 100,000 servings × 1 ounce = 100,000 ounces = 6,250 pounds
Converting to Bushels:
- Tomatoes: A bushel weighs approximately 56 pounds.
- 37,500 pounds ÷ 56 pounds/bushel ≈ 670 bushels
- Onions: A bushel weighs approximately 57 pounds.
- 6,250 pounds ÷ 57 pounds/bushel ≈ 110 bushels
- Jalapeño Peppers: A 1 1/9 bushel carton weighs about 30 pounds.
- 6,250 pounds ÷ 30 pounds/carton ≈ 208 cartons
Cost Estimation:
- Tomatoes: Prices can vary, but a bushel may cost around $60.
- 670 bushels × $60/bushel = $40,200
- Onions: Assuming an average price of $1.00 per pound.
- 6,250 pounds × $1.00/pound = $6,250
- Jalapeño Peppers: Prices vary, but a 1 1/9 bushel carton may cost around $33.
- 208 cartons × $33/carton = $6,864
Total Estimated Daily Cost: $40,200 (tomatoes) + $6,250 (onions) + $6,864 (jalapeños) = $53,314
WLBOTT: Can you run the number for cheese? Let’s assume each person receives 4 ounces of inexpensive cheese per day.
Elder G: To provide each of the 100,000 daily guests with a 4-ounce serving of cheese, the WLBOTT langar would require a total of 25,000 pounds of cheese per day. Here’s the breakdown:
Calculating Daily Cheese Requirements:
- Total Cheese Needed:
- 100,000 people × 4 ounces/person = 400,000 ounces = 25,000 pounds.
Cost Estimation:
- Price per Pound:
- As of January 2025, the average retail price for American processed cheese in U.S. cities is $5.058 per pound.
- However, purchasing in bulk directly from suppliers can reduce costs. For instance, Nasonville Dairy offers 5-pound packages of American cheese slices for $20.75, equating to $4.15 per pound.
- Total Daily Cost:
- Using the bulk price: 25,000 pounds × $4.15/pound = $103,750 per day.
WLBOTT: Finally, we would like to give each person a piece of fruit with each meal. Let’s assume we use seasonally available fruit to lower costs. Can you run the numbers for the fruit?
Elder G: Providing a piece of seasonal fruit to each of the 100,000 daily guests at the WLBOTT langar is a wonderful initiative. Focusing on seasonally available fruits can help reduce costs and support local agriculture. Here’s an analysis based on commonly available fruits:
1. Average Weight of Common Fruits:
- Apples: Approximately 242 grams (8.5 ounces) per large apple.
- Bananas: Approximately 126 grams (4.5 ounces) per medium banana.
- Oranges: Approximately 154 grams (5.5 ounces) per medium orange.
2. Cost Analysis:
Apples:
- Weight: 8.5 ounces (0.53 pounds) per apple.
- Price per Pound: Retail prices range between $1.55 and $2.94 per pound.
- Cost per Apple: Approximately $0.82 to $1.56.
- Total Daily Cost: $82,000 to $156,000.
- Bananas:
- Weight: 4.5 ounces (0.28 pounds) per banana.
- Price per Pound: Approximately $0.62.
- Cost per Banana: Approximately $0.17.
- Total Daily Cost: $17,000.
- Oranges:
- Weight: 5.5 ounces (0.34 pounds) per orange.
- Price per Pound: Retail prices range between $1.55 and $2.94 per pound.
- Cost per Orange: Approximately $0.53 to $1.00.
- Total Daily Cost: $53,000 to $100,000.
3. Seasonal Considerations:
Winter: Oranges, grapefruits, bananas.
Spring: Strawberries, apricots, cherries.
Summer: Peaches, plums, melons.
Fall: Apples, pears, grapes.
By selecting fruits that are in season, the langar can take advantage of lower prices and peak freshness. For example, during the summer, melons and peaches might be more affordable than apples. Additionally, establishing relationships with local farmers and purchasing in bulk can further reduce costs.
4. Estimated Annual Cost:
Assuming an average cost of $0.50 per piece of fruit (balancing more expensive and less expensive options):
- Daily Cost: 100,000 servings × $0.50 = $50,000.
- Annual Cost: $50,000 × 365 days = $18,250,000.
