Royal lunch

A lunch like this would be a dream come true

In the West people spend less and less time on their lunch. Even in Mediterranean countries like France, Spain and Italy lunches become a less important moment in the day. What can we do to at least have a decent lunch?

Lunch is either brought from home or bought in the companies’ canteen, a nearby restaurant or a sandwich bar. Only a century ago all Europeans used to eat a hot meal during lunch. A lack of electricity made it hard to prepare and eat a hot meal at night. More over the energy it gave was needed badly to be able to continue working on the land or in the factory. In many European countries the lunch still consists of a hot meal but this tradition is losing sight.

In the northern countries lunch consists out of sandwiches either prepared at home or bought freshly. The convenience of this kind of food is at the same time a disadvantage. Sandwiches can be eaten everywhere; at the lunch table, in the canteen, behind your desk or during a short walk. It seems time saving but is not very healthy for the way we consume.

The advantage of these hot meals for lunch time is that it requires you to sit down and enjoy. It will take you away from the work you are doing and give you the opportunity to relax and chat with colleagues or friends. If you are not too short on money it can even be a very healthy meal which helps you to have a healthy lifestyle.

However, for a hot meal you seem to depend on the cookery skills of the chef in the companies’ canteen or the restaurant around the corner. If even you have a decent restaurant in your vicinity!

The Indians do not trust on the cooks but only like what’s cooked at home. Therefore they have introduced a special delivery service. Dabbawallas developed a system which enables the working class to enjoy a hot and fresh homemade curry. The curries are collected in so called tiffins which keeps them hot. Then the dubbawalla brings it to a central point in the city where they are redistributed to others, organized per route. Within a short time the right tiffin is delivered to the right husband/son/daughter. It apparently is a great system which makes worldwide operating parcel deliverers jealous.

So if you are sick of weak bread or over-cooked pastas, then see if you can introduce a system like this as well. Hope your wife/husband/mom/dad agrees!

An amazing movie on this system was shown on the Food Film Festival. Check the movie The Lunchbox Miracle.

Get together

A romantic candle-light dinner made from leftovers (foto by RB)

Did you ever thought you could find the love of your life with the help of your leftovers? Well it is possible.

In this time in which relations hardly seem to last forever and where digital friendships sometimes becomes more important than real life friendships, it isn’t strange that more people try to get in touch with others via dating sites. 

There are many of them all aiming to other groups going from single mums and dads to ethnical dating sites. But this is just the beginning of a long list of more specific possibilities.

Now everything is available on the internet there is hardly any reason to go out on the streets. Not only work but also shopping is done from behind your desk. It might seem time saving but in the end it is also very lonely. At least it doesn’t make you bump into that handsome guy or lovely smiling woman with whom you can spend many dinners with.

In Sweden they have now tackled that problem. On the website of food producer Lantmannen the phenomenon Restdejting (leftover dating) is introduced. There are different possibilities to get in contact with your (possibly) future partner. You can fill in names of the ingredients you still have in your fridge. And in case your fridge is completely empty you can also choose what kind of meal you are thinking about; is it cooked or fried, spicy or rich of flavors. Then click and a list of dates will be on display.

Even though times are changing the good of function of food bringing people together still seems to be up to date. So sign in and try.

Shame on you

Off course sometimes you eat things you actually shouldn’t. Some chocolate when you are not happy, chips when you are watching a movie with your friends. It doesn’t need to be a problem, as long as you do not do it too often. This might be difficult if you have one of these shops close to you.

Unhealthy food is usually bought within seconds. You will put it in your shopping basket just at the moment you are not in control of yourself. But in case you are not completely out of control the eye of some other shoppers or the look of the lady behind the pay desk might help you to get in control again. For reasons of shame or because they made you think it isn’t a good idea to eat these snacks you will put it back on the display.

The other shopper or the pay desk lady has the same effect a group can have, either positive or negative. A group might make you to run faster or it might cause you to start smoking again.

The group pressure disappears when you are all by yourself. Vending machines selling (soft) drinks, candy bars and other sweets give you to be anonymous while buying things you actually shouldn’t. As long as you feed it with some coins and tell him what you want, he will give it to you. Of course the choice might be narrow, but this doesn’t matter if you are only hungry for calories.

And even this problem is solved now there are vending machine shops; empty lots which are filled by three, four or more machines which are open almost all day. You can go there whenever you want without the need to face someone who can make you decide not to do it. Should we be happy with this?