The advent of the Internet has ruined the European lunch hour for anyone working in international business, finance and investment.
The Spanish have forfeited their siestas. The Greeks have abandoned their habit of dividing their early-start workday into two halves separated by a four- to five-hour break at the hottest time of the day.
When private French companies with more than 20 employees were forced in January 2000 to reduce work to a 35-hour week, there were snorts of cynical laughter at the suggestion the French worker would give up his two-hour lunch break to help lower the level of unemployment in France. The legislation is widely despised and the cause of much rancor, not to mention financial difficulty, among small businesses.
Globalization means being available in all markets at all times. (Have they thought of banning sleep?) But while the French may have reduced their time for lunch, they haven't given it up altogether. They would never contemplate following the hideous example of the American worker.
A recent survey commissioned by Smoothie King found that 58 percent of U.S. employees across the country don't eat lunch at all if they're under pressure to finish a job. Nearly half spend 15 minutes or less over lunch. Worse, more workers eat lunch in their cars than in a restaurant.
Sacré bleu! This has to be behavior most guaranteed to put on weight. What can you eat in a car or 15 minutes other than high-calorie fast foods or so-called health bars? A big bag of salty chips is such a comfort by the side of the computer monitor when there's no time even to fork through a salad.
People who skip lunch are more likely to fill themselves up with fattening snacks on their way home to dinner. This kind of irresponsibility towards proper nutrition can lead to high blood pressure and heart disease.
Is it any wonder that another new survey, by Hudson, a professional staffing firm, reveals that a third of workers admit to having taken a sick day without being sick because they felt they needed a break. Only one?
If it's not possible to make it to the company's canteen, then it's time to bring back the lunchbox. Lunch provides vital fuel to keep energy levels up and the brain alert. It can't be missed, so make it at home and bring it in.
While a good sandwich is filling and with judicious choice of content perfectly nutritious, it is not the only option. A wide-mouth flask can carry hot or chilled soup or a stir-fry of mixed vegetables quickly cooked in a little vegetable oil.
Thinly sliced white cabbage, carrots, zucchini, snow peas, cauliflower florets fried with finely chopped garlic and moistened with soy sauce are good. Chicken-breast chunks can be added at the start.
Here's a good and nutritious Italian rib-sticking soup.
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Ribollita
(Serves 5 working days)
-- 5 ounces cannelloni beans, preferably soaked and boiled to a softness, but canned will do
-- 2 pounds kale or outer leaves of Savoy cabbage, roughly chopped
-- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
-- 1 head of celery, chopped
-- 8 ounces carrots, peeled and chopped
-- 2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
-- 1 pound can peeled plum tomatoes, drained of juice
-- 2 tablespoons olive oil plus a glug of extra virgin olive oil
-- 1 bunch Italian flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
-- Small loaf stale ciabatta bread, crusts removed, torn into small chunks
-- Salt and black pepper
-- Fresh basil leaves (optional)
Gently sauté garlic, celery, carrot, onion and parsley in the olive oil in a large pan for 30 minutes. Add tomatoes, stir and cook for another 30 minutes. Add chopped kale or cabbage and half the beans. Add water just to cover and simmer 30 minutes more.
Purée remaining beans in a processor and add to soup. If it's too thick, add the tomato juice strained through a sieve or a little boiling water to loosen. But this is a spoon-standing thick soup. Add bread and a glug of extra virgin olive oil and season to taste. If you can't stand the thought of soggy bread, leave it out and don't loosen earlier with the boiling water.
When at room temperature, the way it should be eaten in summer, scatter with torn basil leaves and pour into flask.
