Dan, are you interested in what was going on in Washington State, USA, in the 1950's?
Because that is when I went to grade school, and we could buy a lunch ticket, punchable for ten school lunches, for $1.00.
And all the cooks were local ladies who came in to prepare school lunches in the school cafeteria. These ladies were all married to loggers, farmers and such...so the meals were home-cooked, bountiful, nutritious and delicious too!
And I can still remember what some of my favourite dishes were, too, in those lunches. And funny, because I also remember that the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches always carried the fingerprints of the same lady who always made them, her forefinger and thumbprint as she held the sandwich to cut it in half!
...so I don't think that is what you were looking for, WAY back in the 1950's, but it is what I remember!
Oh, and I even looked up the currency exchange, and as of 11 PM today February 22, 2022, one US dollar is worth 74.63 rupees!