Lunch Time

I am finding it tricky as I try to compare my experiences and life

styles that I encountered from two different continents. I do not know

if my readers will be able to understand me. Moreover, my recent journey

is an unusual one as most Indian travels east to west while I moved from

west to east.

During my stay at Paris for last 3 and half years, most of my lunch at

work was at shared corporate cafeteria between three companies. I

appreciated the price, quality of that food always particularly the

desserts and varieties of yogurts available there. May be I understand,

why French cuisine is considered to be world’s most refined cuisine.

Unfortunately, I am not a food critic that I can pen down those exotic

tastes to get water in your mouth. But as I think about them I roll my

tongue ;)

In general, breakfast in France is a small affair consisting of

croissants & bread rolls with some butter and jam to spread which is

usually accompanied by milky coffee or hot chocolate or café noir. Since

there is no set time for breakfast in France it makes them bit hungry by

noon :) . Le déjeuner (lunch) was once a two hour mid-day meal but has

recently seen a trend toward the one hour lunch break.

It is common at corporate world to be given lunch vouchers as part of

their employee benefits. These can be used in most restaurants,

supermarkets and traiteurs; however people having lunch in this way

typically do not eat all three dishes of a traditional lunch due to

price and time considerations. A sandwich followed by a dessert is quite

commonly seen and can be found ready-made at bakeries and supermarkets,

cafes, bistros or restaurants. Even many restaurants, offer a lower

priced prix fixe menu at lunch which is not available in the evening.

It is common in France for someone wishing you “Bon Appetite” if he/she

realizes that you are going to have food as you take the exit from

office door or lift at noon while in India we hardly say anything before

starting our meal. Rather I believe there is no exact translation even

in Anglo-Saxon culture for “Bon Appetite” but it does exist in Latin

culture in some form or other like in Spanish or Italian lingo.

I have been a silent participator for most of the times as I use to feel

shy to communicate with my linguistic skill of French. These three

pictures are the only I have from all those lunch time I had with my

colleagues. These were taken at very end of our stay with Pamela’s new

phone camera. I always felt that I was going to miss those lunch hours

if I move out of Paris; now I write about them before they become

distant memory.

At my current location in Bombay we do not have any in-house cafeteria

at our office (a small office compared to Paris). There are plenty of

restaurants around to choose from or I can order for lunch at my desk.

With the last one you can work as you take a bite. I am sure any health

freak will tell that it is not good for soul and body. Food is supposed

to be taken properly so that you chew and eat in peace while a meal in

France is not simply a moment dedicated to the nourishment of the body;

it is indeed a time for social and even spiritual replenishment.

In Modern India, where average work hours are getting longer and people

are slogging more at work. This may be very disturbing social and

physiological changes and might have adverse effect as the dynamic

working population grow older.