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Lunch as we know it has only existed for some 200 years. Before the 19th century， a Western lunch was defined as“as much food as one’s hand can hold，” according to a 1755 dictionary entry1. But when industrialization came to major cities， people （mostly men） stayed at work for longer hours， or all day. A new meal had to be created so workers could literally2 regain strength for the rest of the day’s labor.
Later， technological innovations like the pocket watch and punch clock ensured workers’ every second was accounted for.3 And the quicker a person could bang out said meal， the sooner he could punch back in.4
“Haste seems to be a controlling factor in the luncheon of the worker，” observed Munsey’s Magazine in 1901.5 It named the new phenomenon the “quick lunch.”
The culture of the quick lunch originated in New York， says culinary6 historian Laura Shapiro. “New York has all the conditions that make America different from the Old World7 in terms of speed and work and the arrangement of life. In New York， the focus of people’s lives is work， and lunch is the meal that was just made to fit into the industrial， urban work day.”
Geographically， more businesses and factories clustered in lower Manhattan， making the area chaotic with congestion and noise.8 As a result， more residents moved north to quieter areas and restaurants， automats， and food carts took their place.9
Counter-service restaurants， also known as “one-arm” joints， were complicit in the culture of speed.10 Patrons could order fast food and eat it at counters standing up， packed in tightly—using only one hand.11 Restaurants encouraged the pace. Some menus even warned they were “not responsible for personal property”if it was stolen in the hustle12.
One intrepid New York Times reporter spent a month timing diners in a single quick-eating establishment in Times Square， in part because Americans had earned the reputation by this time of “gobbling food almost whole.”13 Two men stood out， he said. One finished his meal in 48 seconds； the other in one minute and 55 seconds. Of the latter， “The man simply tossed14 the food into his mouth， which was large， and swallowed it as fast as his throat could work. The putting of the food into the mouth and the swallowing seemed almost simultaneous15.”
Some people got tired of the quick lunch and restaurants’ monotonous16 menus. They brought bagged lunches or pails and checked out all together.17 According to a 1901 feature for Munsey’s Magazine， manual laborers would “sit in the half finished doorways， or prop themselves against the walls” or “even spread their luncheon on the curb.”18 He compares their “hour of luxurious ease” to businessmen who would “feed，” rather than lunch.
Later， technological innovations like the pocket watch and punch clock ensured workers’ every second was accounted for.3 And the quicker a person could bang out said meal， the sooner he could punch back in.4
“Haste seems to be a controlling factor in the luncheon of the worker，” observed Munsey’s Magazine in 1901.5 It named the new phenomenon the “quick lunch.”
The culture of the quick lunch originated in New York， says culinary6 historian Laura Shapiro. “New York has all the conditions that make America different from the Old World7 in terms of speed and work and the arrangement of life. In New York， the focus of people’s lives is work， and lunch is the meal that was just made to fit into the industrial， urban work day.”
Geographically， more businesses and factories clustered in lower Manhattan， making the area chaotic with congestion and noise.8 As a result， more residents moved north to quieter areas and restaurants， automats， and food carts took their place.9
Counter-service restaurants， also known as “one-arm” joints， were complicit in the culture of speed.10 Patrons could order fast food and eat it at counters standing up， packed in tightly—using only one hand.11 Restaurants encouraged the pace. Some menus even warned they were “not responsible for personal property”if it was stolen in the hustle12.
One intrepid New York Times reporter spent a month timing diners in a single quick-eating establishment in Times Square， in part because Americans had earned the reputation by this time of “gobbling food almost whole.”13 Two men stood out， he said. One finished his meal in 48 seconds； the other in one minute and 55 seconds. Of the latter， “The man simply tossed14 the food into his mouth， which was large， and swallowed it as fast as his throat could work. The putting of the food into the mouth and the swallowing seemed almost simultaneous15.”
Some people got tired of the quick lunch and restaurants’ monotonous16 menus. They brought bagged lunches or pails and checked out all together.17 According to a 1901 feature for Munsey’s Magazine， manual laborers would “sit in the half finished doorways， or prop themselves against the walls” or “even spread their luncheon on the curb.”18 He compares their “hour of luxurious ease” to businessmen who would “feed，” rather than lunch.