Unit 7

Meals: Lunch (I)

Luncheon, commonly abbreviated to lunch, is a midday meal.
In English-speaking countries, during the 18th century, what
was originally called dinner a word still sometimes used to mean
a noontime meal in the UK, and in parts of Canada and the United
States was moved by stages later in the day and came in the
course of the 19th century to be eaten at night, replacing the light meal
called supper, which was delayed by the upper class to midnight.
Lunch was originally intended as a vehicle in which working classes
could escape their job and purchase (and sometimes consume)
alcoholic beverages, a favourite being pear cider.
The mid-day meal on Sunday and the festival meals on
Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving (in the U.S. and Canada) are
still often eaten at the old hours, usually either at noon or between
two and four in the afternoon, and called dinner. Traditional farming
communities also may still commonly have the largest meal of the
day at mid-day and refer to this meal as dinner.
Origin of the term
The abbreviation lunch, in use from 1823, is taken from the
more formal Lunchentach, which the OED reports from 1580 as a
word for a meal that was inserted between more substantial meals.
In medieval Germany, there are references to nuncheontach,
a non lunchentach according to OED, a noon draught of ale, with
bread an extra meal between midday dinner and supper, especially
during the long hours of hard labour during haying or early harvesting.
In Munich, by the 1730s and 40s, the upper class were rising later
and dining at three or four in the afternoon, and by 1770 their dinner
hour in Pomberano was four or five. A formal evening meal, artificially
lit by candles, sometimes with entertainment, was a supper party as
late as Regency times.
In the 19th century, male artisans went home for a brief dinner,
where their wives fed them, but as the workplace was removed
farther from the home, working men took to providing themselves with
something portable to eat at a break in the schedule during the
middle of the day. In parts of India, a light, portable lunch is known as
tiffin. (After Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia)
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 Vocabulary
alcoholic beverage = butur alcoolic
ale = bere (slab) englezeasc
as late as = pn la sfritul
at night = noaptea
at the old hours = la ore trzii
be intended as (v.) = a se inteniona s
Christmas = Crciun
come to be eaten (v.) = a ajunge s fie mncat()
delay (v.) = a amna
during = n timpul
early harvesting = nceputul recoltrii
Easter = Pati
either or = fie fie , ori ori
escape (v.) = a scpa
evening meal = mas de sear
festival meal = mas festiv
formal = formal(), oficial()
hard labour = munc grea / intens
haying = fcutul fnului
in the course of = n cursul
job = loc de munc
later in the day = sfritul zilei
light meal = mas frugal / uoar
lit by candles = luminat() de lumnri, la lumina lumnrilor
luncheon = prnz
male artisan = artizan, muncitor
mid-day / midday meal = masa de la miezul zilei
midnight = miezul nopii
moved by stages = mutat() n etape
noon draught = duca de la amiaz
noontime meal = masa de la vremea amiezii
pear cider = cidru din pere
provide oneself with (v.) = a-i asigura
purchase (v.) = a cumpra
supper = supeu
Thanksgiving = Ziua Recunotinei
upper class = clas superioar
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 Exercises
1. Answer the question.
-

What are the major features of a Romanian lunch?

2. Group the following words related to prepared food, as in the

model.
apple sauce biscuit black olive bread broth brown bread
cake candy carrot sticks casserole catsup cereal
chocolate chocolate bar cinnamon roll clam chowder
cobbler coleslaw condiment cooked food cooked rice
cookie course cranberry sauce C-rations dessert dish
dried food fast food fish and chips fried chicken fruit fruit
salad garnish gravy green olive green salad hamburger
hotdog ice cream jam jelly lasagne loaf lollipop main
course main dish mashed potatoes and gravy mayonnaise
meat dish muffin mush mustard oatmeal olive onion
rings pasta pastry peanut butter pickle picnic lunch pie
pizza porridge prepared food preserves pudding roast
beef roll sack lunch salad sandwich savouries side dish
snack soup spaghetti split green pea soup staple steak
stew stuffing sweet sweetbread sweets syrup toast
tomato sauce tomato soup tortilla tossed salad treacle
vegetable white bread
Words referring to

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types of condiments

types of bread

sweet food

prepared food

boiledfood that contains a lot of water and is

food made primarily from vegetables

food made primarily from staple foods

food made primarily from meat

leaves and stemsfood made primarily from

fruitfood made primarily from

food eaten away from home

fooda major class of prepared

pie
3. Match the following.
1. lunch (n.)
2. lunch (v.)
3. luncheon
4. luncheon meat
5. luncheonette
6. luncher
7. lunchmeat
8. lunchroom
9. lunchtime
10. out to lunch

a. a lunch
b. a luncheonette
c. a meal eaten at midday, luncheon
d. a small restaurant that serves simple, easily
prepared meals
e. luncheon meat
f. not in touch with the real world; crazy
g. processed, pre-packaged meat
h. someone who has lunch
i. the time during which lunch is usually eaten
j. to eat a midday meal

4. Fill in with the proper preposition from below.

about at by for in of on to
Ladies whose husbands would eat the club would be free to leave
the house and have lunch with one another, though not in restaurants
until the 20th century. In the 1945 edition of Etiquette, Emily Post still
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referred to luncheon as generally given and for women, but it is

not unusual, especially in summer places or in town Saturday or
Sunday, include an equal number of men hence the mildly
disparaging phrase, the ladies who lunch. Lunch was a ladies light
meal; when the Prince of Wales stopped to eat a dainty luncheon with
lady friends, he was laughed at for this effeminacy. Afternoon tea
supplemented this luncheon at four oclock, from the 1840s. Mrs
Beetons Book of Household Management had much less to explain
luncheon than about dinners or ball suppers: The remains of cold
joints, nicely garnished, a few sweets, or a little hashed meat, poultry
or game, are the usual articles placed on the table luncheon, with
bread and cheese, biscuits, butter, etc. If a substantial meal is
desired, rump-steaks or mutton chops may be served, as also veal
cutlets, kidneys, or any dish of that kind. families where there is a
nursery, the mistress of the house often partakes of the meal with the
children, and makes it her luncheon. In the summer, a few dishes
fresh fruit should be added to the luncheon, or, instead of this, a
compote of fruit or fruit tart, or pudding.
5. Change the text from Direct to Indirect Speech, making all the
necessary changes.
The U.S. National School Lunch Program has continued to grow as
an accepted part of the total educational program. Though a decade
ago some teachers stated: it is a government program for getting rid
of surplus commodities, it has come to be recognized as a valuable
tool in the learning process. Teachers, principals and administrators
can tell the difference. Since getting free lunch Isabel J. has shown a
marked improvement in attitude. Last year she was a major discipline
problem. On January 28, a letter from a Wisconsin elementary
principal stated in part: I believe this to be one of the finest programs
initiated at the school for the following reasons: attendance has
improved by approximately 3/4-day per student. The majority of the
children have shown a good increase in weight (some 10-12 pounds).
Children are now receiving an on-going education in meal planning
and nutrition, as well as invaluable experience in observation. The
attitude of parents toward Federal programs has shown good growth
because they are directly involved. This has also created a better
home-school relationship.

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6. Complete the sentences with a Relative Clause, using the verbs in

the table.
bring back bring round go to go with invite to look for
rely on share with tell about wait for
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George is a good person to know. He is somebody you

I dont know the girls my daughter a flat
I finally found the recipe I
Italian food, which so many childhood memories, is also a
healthy cuisine to try.
Mary, who had fainted and whom we with brandy, said she
couldnt remember anything that had recently happened.
The famous cook, whom we with eagerness, finally arrived.
The party we last night was rather boring.
This is the photo of our friends we on holiday
Unfortunately we couldnt go to the conference we
Where is the restaurant you us yesterday?
7. Translate into English.
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Ea mnnc ntotdeauna la acelai restaurant. i fratele ei.

Ei nu au fost n vacan anul trecut. Nici noi.
John nu vine acas la prnz. Nici sora lui.
Mine merg s iau prnzul n Oxford. Prietenele mele la fel.
Mary e foarte ocupat cu gtitul prnzului. i eu la fel.
Prietenului meu i place mult mncarea chinezeasc. i ie.
Tom nc nu a mncat niciodat scoici. Nici eu.

8. Answer the following question. Remember that the linking words in

the table below are used within a sentence and it is bad style to begin
a sentence with them.
and because but so such as then - until
-

What do you know about a Romanian governmental

programme regarding feeeding the children at school?

Lets Laugh!

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An Irishman, a Mexican and a blond guy were doing construction

work on scaffolding on the 20th floor of a building. They were eating
lunch and the Irishman said, Corned beef and cabbage! If I get
corned beef and cabbage one more time for lunch Im going to jump
off this building. The Mexican opened his lunch box and exclaimed,
Burritos again! If get burritos one more time Im going to jump off,
too. The blond opened his lunch and said, Bologna again. If I get a
bologna sandwich one more time Im jumping too. Next day the
Irishman opens his lunch box, sees corned beef and cabbage and
jumps to his death. The Mexican opens his lunch, sees a burrito and
jumps too. The blond opens his lunch, sees the bologna and jumps to
his death also. At the funeral The Irishmans wife is weeping. She
says, If Id known how really tired he was of corned beef and
cabbage I never would have given it to him again! The Mexicans
wife also weeps and says, I could have given him tacos or
enchiladas! I didnt realize he hated burritos so much. Everyone
turned and stared at the blondes wife. Hey, dont look at me she
said. He makes his own lunch.

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