I have a favorite term for the meal that falls–either accidentally or on purpose–between the lunch and dinner times: linner. Like brunch (the time for a meal not considered totally breakfast or lunch), linner can be a meal of any size and be almost anything to get you through the afternoon.
It seems that people are increasingly falling into the habit of eating a big meal for lunch. My company cafeteria prepares wonderful meals starting at 11:00 in the morning, including turkey breast carved from the actual bird, salmon with risotto (which I hope would not make Gordon Ramsay’s blood boil) and a variety of specialties one would not expect to sit on a hot table with a sneeze shield.
The problem is that linner can cost $5.00 and up, while preparing a meal at home can be much less expensive. Now that some of the tax breaks we enjoyed until the new year have gone away, my food budget went down with my take-home pay. Who can spend $25 or more a week to eat lunch? Or linner?
Of course the food offered for lunch is comfort food (one must have stuffing and gravy with that turkey breast carved to order), and nutrition experts and exercise gurus would advise heading to the salad bar instead. I’ve done that, too. A few spinach on a foam plate with mushrooms, tomatoes and vinaigrette can do the trick on some occasions. It doesn’t always fill the gut until 5:00, though.
The struggle for a good three meal day goes on. Do brunch and linner count as four meals or just two?
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