Lunch

March 15, 2014

Elias (Stir It Up: Home Economics in American Culture) adds to "The Meal" series (e.g., Heather Arndt-Anderson's Breakfast) with this history of the midday repast. The author follows the evolution of lunch from its beginnings in the medieval period, when the concept emerged, to the present. Customary times and fare have changed over the years and around the world, affected by factors such as the Industrial Revolution, wars, class, and suburbanization. Readers are given a tour of traditional luncheons around the globe. Elias highlights how the meal taken at home has evolved over the years, as well as the rise of lunchrooms, lunch counters, burger stands, tiffins, and food trucks as a result of people eating out. The book ends with a look at how lunch is depicted in the arts and media, providing insight into the relevant time periods and cultures. VERDICT This wide-ranging, thorough history with extensive citations will appeal to dedicated readers of food history and those interested in social customs.--Melissa Stoeger, Deerfield P.L., IL

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2014
For too many Americans, lunch is a meal one grabs, almost an afterthought, something to quickly restore energy when the day's labor reaches its midpoint. As Elias documents, the noon meal hasn't always been just a fast feed between morning's breakfast and evening's dinner. As soon as agriculture advanced beyond subsistence, lunch became the day's main, if not only, meal. Medieval monks in Europe honored the midday meal as the day's primary repast, and in Cairo, merchants and shoppers partook of the first examples of street food. American farmers ate lunch at outdoor groaning boards to save precious harvesting time and yet consume enough calories to fuel strenuous activity. The Industrial Revolution compelled ordinary workers to eat near assembly lines rather than at home with their families, while upper-class managers and financiers downed cocktails and haute cuisine atop the finest napery in what's become notorious as the power lunch. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)