For the last three years I’ve used January to try and learn something new. Three years ago it was to try 31 days of exercise, two years ago it was 31 days of stretching, last year it was 31 days of learning to play the piano and this year it’s 31 days of… lunch.

When does lunch become dinner? Yesterday I discussed the timing of lunch and how for some people it can be midday and for others it might be 2pm but what I hadn’t considered is what happens when it becomes 7pm, and it’s dark and it is definitely not lunch anymore, it’s evening.

That’s what happened today. Lunch didn’t start until after I finished work. I bought lunch at midday, I meant to eat it before 1pm but, due to being waylaid, I couldn’t get to it until 7pm.

First, I already knew I what need to eat quickly. I had a meeting from 1pm to 3pm and then 3pm to 5pm, and the meetings were not the type of meetings I could bring a sandwich and munch away. I would be doing a lot of talking and no one wants to listen to someone chewing. Unless it’s on YouTube and you’re a weirdo and you don’t call it chewing you call it ASMR.

This was not an ASMR meeting.

So, I had to get to the meeting and then speak to a receptionist to hand in some signed documents and then I had a 10 minutes window to eat my sandwich when… I met someone I knew and they started talking, and talking, and I couldn’t eat my sandwich then either because that would be weird too.

“It’s great to see you. How long’s it been? Two years. Fantastic, now tell me about your family while I stare at you while eating a baguette.”

So, no sandwich, 4 hours of meetings, walk back to the office, collect car, go home, play with daughter, and then, and only then did I get to eat lunch. For my dinner.

So, was that lunch or was it tea?

Bread: Baguette, with 5 minutes in the over to crisp it up and to melt the cheese.

Ingredient: Mozzarella, tomatoes and param ham

Taste: delayed gratification