I have learned this morning that I am indeed a fellow and dreaded "demented striver." PB&J al desko? For me: the morose norm. There's a little hole-in-the-wall bibimbap place here in NW PDX that I love. I went there for lunch recently. A sign on the door: "We're closed for a 2 month vacation. See you soon!" Me: How dare they! Then, after a beat, me again: Good for them! I need to change my demented striver life! Oh, and your drool/kidnapping line had me lol-ing this morning.
This is the best. I only recently started sitting down to eat my lunchtime "trough" – a mixing bowl of leftovers that have no business being combined with lettuce and tahini dressing –, which for years I wolfed out of the bowl I made it in standing at the counter before returning to my desk.
As a novelist, I related to this so much. I have a rule about not accepting lunch invitations (just the anticipation of something interrupting my flow stops me from writing). Stealing "lunch al desko." Brilliant.
I loved reading this and also laughed out loud a few times. Enjoyed the tidbits about what writers ate for lunch. My husband and I go out for a long decadent lunch on a weekday every couple of weeks and it recharges us after so many days of those work/lunches.
But the key is always obeying the dictates of the work, not the clock. That said, a long decadent lunch (otherwise known simply as 'lunch' in France) is sometimes just the ticket!
Even the tiniest glass, right? There is a thing here in the south called a "piscine," which translates to swimming pool, but in the context of wine is a large glass filled with ice, and a little rosé. It allows you to drink a lot during the hot summer months without falling over drunk by 5 o'clock. I cannot even do a piscine at lunch if I want to work afterwards. It is obviously a very sad situation.
Laugh out loud funny. I returned to my desk after a long vacation hiking around Mt. Blanc -- determined that I would say no to lunches and happy hour because -- dammit -- I've got to "sit down to the page." I'm scared I'll have a novel at the end of it, but no friends....
Had to laugh. I also rarely go out for lunch. Even “quick bite” can ruin my writing groove. I thought freelance life had more flexibility. Alas! My energy and focus do not. 😂
I let out some audible giggles while reading this. Especially at "al desko."
It's taken a lot for me to get used to French eating habits (although I LOVE eating and love French food). A big, long lunch sometimes feels like a distraction because I finally fall into my real productivity in the early afternoon. I'm more of a loooong dinner gal! Still, I can't complain about spending more time to eat. :)
I'm with you! I do appreciate the long lunch. Philosophically, it makes a lot of sense, especially when followed by a light dinner. I just wish I didn't feel like I'd been drugged afterwards. You know?
There's so much written about dinner, I loved your spotlight on lunch! To keep the momentum, it's crucial to stay light on my feet, a bit like fueling for a long sports events, but every once in a while the mind-body-spirit needs a change from the routine. When I used to go to offices during jobby-job periods, I usually had the same lunch every day, and openly exposed myself as someone who didn't care what I had for lunch, as long as I could stay awake and function.
Also, I loved the Bon Appetit article on writers and lunching ... the link in your article is missing an "s"at the end, and here it is. I so saw myself in this piece, in a context I'd never thought about. Thank you, and for your witty wonderful straight shooting. xo
". . .openly exposed myself as someone who didn't care what I had for lunch, as long as I could stay awake and function." Exactment! And -- thanks for the correction on the link. I suspect I was rushing to post this, possibly after a big lunch.
Heartening to hear that in the newly minted land of Macdo' (perhaps we imagined it but we'd swear we read of France's love of the arches) that 'dejeuner profonde' is alive and kicking
MacDo is the most popular restaurant in France, it's true. Also, it's probably a generational situation -- I suspect the longer in the tooth, the longer the lunch.
"A lot of famous, very productive French writers – Voltaire, René Descartes, Marcel Proust – did most of their writing in bed, and I think I know why. If you’re writing in bed, no one can ask you to lunch." *snort-laughs * Lunch is either a one-bowl-salad-wonder or a handful of tiny snacks, right?
With French immersion from afar over at least two years, I have observed the importance of lunch for so many French people. Sunday lunch? Pas de comment! Gradually I have migrated to more lunch, none-to-less dinner. Lunch can be anything from planned to clean-out-the-refrigerator bowls. Happier all the way around with the shift in thinking. Naps optional.
Having lived here since 1990, I feel like I've witnessed the decline of the daily French lunch ritual. When I first started working in Rodez -- hardly a booming metropolis -- a lot of people ate lunch out every single day, thanks to the "ticket-restaurant" system, often with a glass of wine. Or else they took two full hours off, drove home, and cooked their lunch. I was one of the only employees to brown-bag it, and was looked at as a cultural oddity.
Fast forward to 2015 or so. Our official lunch break had been reduced to an hour and a half, with some employees opting for an hour. Many colleagues were snarfing down reheated leftovers in the staff room, or running out to buy a sandwich or even a hamburger, and often taking only 45 minutes off in order to rush back to their desks and answer emails.
However, the social weekend lunch remains sacred, and remains very, very long. My (French) husband and I avoid them, except during the summer. We don't hesitate to say "et samedi soir, ça ne marcherait pas?"
You're right, of course. Given that France is a modern country functioning pretty well in a global economy, the many hours long lunch isn't practical. That said, I'm always charmed when, come lunchtime, I glimpse a table full of pompiers or gilets tucked into a nice prix fixe.
You are hilarious! I love this.
I have learned this morning that I am indeed a fellow and dreaded "demented striver." PB&J al desko? For me: the morose norm. There's a little hole-in-the-wall bibimbap place here in NW PDX that I love. I went there for lunch recently. A sign on the door: "We're closed for a 2 month vacation. See you soon!" Me: How dare they! Then, after a beat, me again: Good for them! I need to change my demented striver life! Oh, and your drool/kidnapping line had me lol-ing this morning.
That is very bold of them to close for a 2 month vacation, radical in fact!
This is the best. I only recently started sitting down to eat my lunchtime "trough" – a mixing bowl of leftovers that have no business being combined with lettuce and tahini dressing –, which for years I wolfed out of the bowl I made it in standing at the counter before returning to my desk.
I approve of this lunch. Actually, it sounds pretty good, and not completely unhealthy. Well done!
I think one of Dani Shapiro’s rules in Still Writing is “say no to lunch”
It is a tattoo-worthy rule
As a novelist, I related to this so much. I have a rule about not accepting lunch invitations (just the anticipation of something interrupting my flow stops me from writing). Stealing "lunch al desko." Brilliant.
I guess if you're the kind of writer who hits the laptop running at 5 am, you might be ready for a nap-inducing lunch by 1 pm.
Uh, I am definitely not.
I loved reading this and also laughed out loud a few times. Enjoyed the tidbits about what writers ate for lunch. My husband and I go out for a long decadent lunch on a weekday every couple of weeks and it recharges us after so many days of those work/lunches.
But the key is always obeying the dictates of the work, not the clock. That said, a long decadent lunch (otherwise known simply as 'lunch' in France) is sometimes just the ticket!
Great, humorous article about the French Lunch. I just can’t work once I’ve had a glass of wine at lunchtime. And I do love love a glass of wine
Even the tiniest glass, right? There is a thing here in the south called a "piscine," which translates to swimming pool, but in the context of wine is a large glass filled with ice, and a little rosé. It allows you to drink a lot during the hot summer months without falling over drunk by 5 o'clock. I cannot even do a piscine at lunch if I want to work afterwards. It is obviously a very sad situation.
I will definitely try the piscine during the summer , when not working. It sounds refreshing - what a great French idea!
Laugh out loud funny. I returned to my desk after a long vacation hiking around Mt. Blanc -- determined that I would say no to lunches and happy hour because -- dammit -- I've got to "sit down to the page." I'm scared I'll have a novel at the end of it, but no friends....
HA! "A novel but no friends." This is surely the universal plight of the novelist. You can come sit by me. I'll also have no friends. . .
Had to laugh. I also rarely go out for lunch. Even “quick bite” can ruin my writing groove. I thought freelance life had more flexibility. Alas! My energy and focus do not. 😂
I let out some audible giggles while reading this. Especially at "al desko."
It's taken a lot for me to get used to French eating habits (although I LOVE eating and love French food). A big, long lunch sometimes feels like a distraction because I finally fall into my real productivity in the early afternoon. I'm more of a loooong dinner gal! Still, I can't complain about spending more time to eat. :)
I'm with you! I do appreciate the long lunch. Philosophically, it makes a lot of sense, especially when followed by a light dinner. I just wish I didn't feel like I'd been drugged afterwards. You know?
There's so much written about dinner, I loved your spotlight on lunch! To keep the momentum, it's crucial to stay light on my feet, a bit like fueling for a long sports events, but every once in a while the mind-body-spirit needs a change from the routine. When I used to go to offices during jobby-job periods, I usually had the same lunch every day, and openly exposed myself as someone who didn't care what I had for lunch, as long as I could stay awake and function.
Also, I loved the Bon Appetit article on writers and lunching ... the link in your article is missing an "s"at the end, and here it is. I so saw myself in this piece, in a context I'd never thought about. Thank you, and for your witty wonderful straight shooting. xo
https://www.bonappetit.com/story/author-writing-food-habits
". . .openly exposed myself as someone who didn't care what I had for lunch, as long as I could stay awake and function." Exactment! And -- thanks for the correction on the link. I suspect I was rushing to post this, possibly after a big lunch.
Dej al desko (merci!) in Arles ~ from Le Chipsier français, saveur Chèvre piment d'Espelette + Domaine Tempier rosé
Miam!
Funny!
Heartening to hear that in the newly minted land of Macdo' (perhaps we imagined it but we'd swear we read of France's love of the arches) that 'dejeuner profonde' is alive and kicking
MacDo is the most popular restaurant in France, it's true. Also, it's probably a generational situation -- I suspect the longer in the tooth, the longer the lunch.
No doubt, Karen. You can already see the change in Paris where seemingly every restaurant has burgers on the menu!
"A lot of famous, very productive French writers – Voltaire, René Descartes, Marcel Proust – did most of their writing in bed, and I think I know why. If you’re writing in bed, no one can ask you to lunch." *snort-laughs * Lunch is either a one-bowl-salad-wonder or a handful of tiny snacks, right?
I am all for the one-bowl-salad-wonder! And never underestimate the Handful of Trail Mix.
With French immersion from afar over at least two years, I have observed the importance of lunch for so many French people. Sunday lunch? Pas de comment! Gradually I have migrated to more lunch, none-to-less dinner. Lunch can be anything from planned to clean-out-the-refrigerator bowls. Happier all the way around with the shift in thinking. Naps optional.
Having lived here since 1990, I feel like I've witnessed the decline of the daily French lunch ritual. When I first started working in Rodez -- hardly a booming metropolis -- a lot of people ate lunch out every single day, thanks to the "ticket-restaurant" system, often with a glass of wine. Or else they took two full hours off, drove home, and cooked their lunch. I was one of the only employees to brown-bag it, and was looked at as a cultural oddity.
Fast forward to 2015 or so. Our official lunch break had been reduced to an hour and a half, with some employees opting for an hour. Many colleagues were snarfing down reheated leftovers in the staff room, or running out to buy a sandwich or even a hamburger, and often taking only 45 minutes off in order to rush back to their desks and answer emails.
However, the social weekend lunch remains sacred, and remains very, very long. My (French) husband and I avoid them, except during the summer. We don't hesitate to say "et samedi soir, ça ne marcherait pas?"
You're right, of course. Given that France is a modern country functioning pretty well in a global economy, the many hours long lunch isn't practical. That said, I'm always charmed when, come lunchtime, I glimpse a table full of pompiers or gilets tucked into a nice prix fixe.