LUNCH

Lunch has never been just a meal. The meal most often eaten in public, lunch has a long tradition of establishing social status and cementing alliances. From the Ploughman’s lunch in the field to the Power Lunch at the Four Seasons, the particulars of lunch decisions -- where, with whom, and what we eat -- often mark our place in the world. Indeed, lunch has galvanized political movements and been at the center of efforts to address the needs of those unable to provide enough food for their families. The American School Lunch Act of 1946, inspired by the malnutrition discovered by war-time recruiters, demonstrated that lunch could represent the very health of the nation. In the 1960s, the right to eat at one of America’s ubiquitous lunch counters came to represent America’s moral health. Issues of who cooks lunch, and who eats what and how and even when (before exercise or after?) in public institutions continues to spur activists.

Exploring the rich history and culture of this most-observed and versatile meal, Lunch draws on a wide range of sources, from letters and memoirs to fiction, cookbooks, institutional records, art, and popular media, and from tea room menus to lunch truck Twitter feeds. Elias considers the history of lunch not only in America, but around the world to reveal the rich traditions and considerable changes this meal has influenced over the years.

Megan Elias is associate professor and co-director of Writing Across the Curriculum/Writing in the Disciplines Program, Queensborough Community College, CUNY. She is the author of numerous books on food history, including Food in the United States, 1890-1945 (2009) and Stir It Up: Home Economics in American Culture (2008).