WORKPLACE LUNCHES ROCK!
It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like “What about lunch?” ~AA Milne character Winnie the Pooh
A SIMPLE LUNCH FIT FOR THE GODS
There is no end to the foods that can be combined for lunchtime. Focusing on the easy end of that spectrum is one of my favorite. It combines diverse flavors, textures and aromas
The cheese department saw me coming. Shopping for brie, I perused the shelves looking for a wedge. The smallest piece was just shy of a full pound, way too much for the two servings I was planning. Brie has a richness that is superb with the bumper crop of apples we are currently enjoying.
“Can you help me with a smaller piece of brie?” I asked the cheese guy, atop a ladder stocking the upper reaches of the department. Acknowledging me with a good natured, “Certainly,” he got down from his perch, happy to help. He talked up the flavor and dreaminess of a Fromager d’Affinois Coupe. “Even though this is only a double cream,” he continued, “it’s flavors are wonderfully creamy and less salty than the triple. I’m certain that you will enjoy this one.
“It’s probably twice the price though, right?” I asked with no elegance at all.
“Oh, sure.  It’s well worth every penny.” His confidence was irresistible, and he really knew his cheese. He selected a nice-sized piece at less than six dollars. Not bad for two servings.
“This cheese is the result of a special filtering process,” he went on, “so smooth and creamy that it is ethereal, and delightful with ripe fruit.”  He was good! In case I needed more, he added, “Made with Pasteurized cow’s milk.”  Gotta love the Fairway. They do know their food, and when not making fun of the customers, they’re not shy about conveying their love of comestibles through their vast knowledge.
Thanking him, I headed for Produce for some gala or fuji or honey crisp apples, those wondrous orbs of crisp sweetness that, chilled, are like biting a mouthful of crunch that sparkle alongside cheese.
Next stop, the butcher, who had sopresetta laid out, side-by-side with a dozen other salamis. I prefer sweet sopresetta  because I’m such a sissy about eating spicy things. The only thing I can taste is the fire. The sweet flavor is a little more compatible with a creamy cheese like brie; and the d’Affinois was likely even more delicate.  Sopresetta does come spicy, if you like.
Sopresetta is a hard salami, best sliced paper thin. Don’t let then push you around; expect your butcher (or deli-counter worker) to give you the amount you request. I’ve worked in a deli and, believe me, you learn real quick how to eyeball exactly a half pound of sliced product if that is what the customer asks for, despite their protestations to the contrary. Insist that they wrap what you request. Just tell them cheerily, “Keep at it; you’ll be good in no time!”
Onto the bakery, where the aroma of yeast hits your nostrils the moment you enter. Loaves of every size and shape line the shelves, and it’s good to try something different with every purchase. A French baguette, from a bakery that knows its stuff, is reliably spectacular if you like a crusty outside and a light inside with tooth.  Don’t bother to have it sliced; it breaks off in enterprising hunks.
If you want something more compact for lunch at work, I like Kavli Crispy Thin Crispbread, or the thicker Wasa Light Rye Crisp Bread. Both made with rye – and more like crackers than bread – they are good for the wheat-intolerant.
So, there you have it. A loaf of bread, a wedge of cheese, slices of salami & an apple: a satisfying lunch any day. You could add a few Kalamata olives, or some good quality olive oil for bread-dipping. And, of course, a chilled white wine, unless you’re at work. (They frown upon that.)
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