Every now and then, I need a break from writing about what’s going wrong (or going nowhere) at our local council. Today’s that day. It’s 11am, I haven’t had breakfast, and I’m already thinking about lunch, which, let’s be honest, is the one meal that rarely disappoints and never ends in a motion being deferred.
My grandmother believed lunch was the main meal of the day, and frankly, I thought it was just a post-war habit she couldn’t shake. But here I am, decades later, eating my main meal at noon and realising she was the wisest person in the house.
Turns out, lunch has a lot going for it.
The truth is, I love lunch. I especially love having lunch with friends. We always pick somewhere with good food and living in paradise, we nearly always find a spot with great views too. Add in a table full of thoughtful, funny, generous humans, and I’m reminded how lucky I am. Good friends, good food, good conversation. What more do you need?
Lunch is underrated. It doesn’t ask much. You can eat it standing up at the bench or sitting under a tree with a sausage roll and a story to tell. You don’t need matching napkins or a dinner playlist. You don’t need to be on. You just need an appetite and ideally someone who makes you laugh.
Unlike breakfast, you don’t have to fake cheerfulness. Unlike dinner, where at my age you’re not half-asleep. Lunch is simple, forgiving, and strangely optimistic. It happens while the day still has potential.
So let’s stop treating it like a time slot between meetings. Let’s stop pretending a protein bar is a meal. Let’s bring back the proper lunch, with real food and real people, and maybe even a second glass of wine ( maybe not if I want to be awake at 7pm.)
Let’s be honest. If we want meals that build connection, restore sanity, and occasionally include a pastry (or two), lunch is our best shot.
Let’s stop treating it like a speedbump.
Let’s make lunch the main event again.
Shoutout to Lauren Collins at The New Yorker for the inspiration
#LunchWithFriends #GratefulForGoodCompany #ViewsAndConversation #InPraiseOfLunch #SavourTheMiddleMeal #Over60AndThriving
#EverydayJoy #LunchBreakNotBreakneck #FriendshipAndFood
#LivingWellAtLunch