19 November—Sunday
I had a great lunch today with a friend, which made me think how much I like having lunch.
It’s by far the best meal compared to its rivals; breakfast is fun but way too rushed, and dinner can be warm and cozy at times, but they’re a bit too moody and almost always sad when it’s done, pointing towards the end.
Let’s be very honest and objective here, except for Turkish breakfast, which, to be fair, is more of a holiday fantasy than a daily routine; morning food is just not exciting or nuanced. It’s just some extra calories in the form of “chocolate bread” or “just bread” that don’t serve almost anything. If you eat meat, one can argue that bacon and eggs are actually pretty good. But are they really? Are either really good? Or is it just a bit better in comparison to those mostly dry pastries that we are grateful to have for breakfast? The standard is pretty low. And dinner… The expectation for good food is way too high. Can you imagine the repercussions of having an unsatisfying evening feast? There is no coming back from that. Can you imagine Jesus having a bad or OK last meal? How sad is that? Had it been a bad lunch, you can just have a laugh and say, “Listen, let’s just leave this place and move on with our day; we still have a lot of time!”
Lunch is rarely about the food itself — although good food tastes even better at noon — but about what comes before and after. That coffee after lunch might take you anywhere.
I’ve been thinking of my two perfect lunch scenarios, and here they are.
In case you can’t read my handwriting:
1
A nice town* near the ocean
bigger than a village
smaller than a city
in a crowded restaurant
that ideally does not have a view of the ocean
waiters aren’t rude but are too busy to be nice
it's mid-summer —
not too emotional like August
not too anxious as June
We’re sitting in the small garden of the restaurant
that’s a bit secluded
and people aren’t smoking.
There is always a full jug of water at the table.
It’s bright, warm
without direct sunlight
with friends
Sardines
Tomato Salad
Fresh Bread
Olive Oil
Half a pint of beer
a coffee afterwards
*I realize that all towns are bigger than a village and smaller than a city anyway
but what I mean is the feeling in the restaurant.
2
After a very stressful morning
with family
very casual restaurant in Istanbul
Lentil soup
and then rice with chicken
We have tickets for the cinema in the evening. The film doesn’t matter as long as I’m with my family
— but still have five or six hours for that
We order coffee, but we need to drink fast
because we have a nice plan for the afternoon.