Easy Lunches For Work

In the early 1920s, when Upton Sinclair wrote such descriptive works as The Jungle, about the atrocities of the factory work place, many workers did not receive a lunch break at all. Meanwhile, workers in parts of Russia toiled 7 days a week without any days off or vacations (testimony from my Russian teacher and a Ukrainian uncle-in-law as well as USSR workforce journals of the 1980s).

These workers were not required by law to have any rest breaks or food breaks at that time. Franz Kafka wrote The Metamorphosis novella around this time, describing the toll that Industrialized Society wrought on the family and the individual. People died from working and were abandoned by society and even their families if they could not work and bring in money.

This behavioral custom is much like the few Indigenous cultures that left the old ones and the widows standing under a tree to die when they were left without family through death; the nation moved on to find new resources. Similarly, some Workers Compensation patients today are unable to recover from their injuries, because of nagging or abusive family members demanding money from the unable-to-work patients and heaping undue criticism on them.

Generally, full-time employees usually receive a lunch break between 15 - 45 minute long. Some receive an hour. Still, however, some receive no break. For example, until complaints were filed, one social service agency here required employees to work 9 hours per day without eating (45 hours per week, no breaks), with pay for only 40 hours. This lasted only a few weeks, until official complaints were filed.

In the middle of the 20th century, labor laws were enacted to protect and ensure that certain groups, such as women and teens, were guaranteed rest breaks and lunch breaks. For example, in our state laws, a fast food worker under 18 years of age must receive a 30-minute break within a 5-hour work shift, or be clocked out for the day at 5.0 hours. Your own local state, and federal, labor laws are available online for you to review.

Some employers give workers 30 minutes for lunch if there is an onsite cafeteria or venidng machines available, and 45 minutes to an hour if they must leave the premises to find food.

Some employers do not allow employees to eat at their desks, while some government agencies allow employees to eat at their desks as well as to get paid for that time - overtime!

All this goes into the conclusion that lunch times differ in length around the country. If you have lunch time available, what are you going to eat?

Hummus Wrap Sandwiches

• 2 cups of Hummus, plain or flavored
• 6 ounces Spinach, washed, stems removed. Your favorite Lettuce, or Chinese Cabbage, can be substituted.
• 2 medium sized Tomatoes, sliced to 1/4-inch size
• 2 cups Shredded Carrots
• 4 ounces Fresh Mushrooms, sliced to 1/4-inch size
• 2 cups Alfalfa or Bean Sprouts, or similar
• 1 cup Raisins, Sunflower Seeds, or other Nuts
• 2 large Flour Tortillas (10-inch or larger)

1. Place one Flour Tortilla on a clean bread board or cutting board.
2. Spread 1 cup of the Hummus evenly onto the Tortilla, but leave ½ inch bare Tortilla around the half circle farthest away from you.
3. Neatly place Spinach, Lettuce, or Chinese Cabbage across spread Hummus.
4. Layer the other ingredients in the middle of the Tortilla. Do not over fill. You can always use an extra Tortilla.
5. Roll the edge of the Tortilla that is closest to you slowly toward the other side.
6. Cut the rolled Sandwich in half for two servings, or cut it to 1-inch slices and serve with mustard, low-fat dressings, or any condiment of your choice.

½ of a Wrap Sandwich and a cup of your favorite rice dish makes a filling meal for Lunch at Work.

Other vegetables may be substituted in this sandwich, and those who enjoy meat and cheeses may add or substitute those as well. These are delicious!

Yield: 2 - 3 Wraps (4 - 6 servings or more)

Nori Sandwiches are beginning to appear on the market, making a pleasant alternative to other kinds of sandwiches. The use a variety of traiditonal and modern ingredients and are quite good. You might learn to make these yourself, using vegetable ingredients or cooked meats, such as the cooked tuna in the pictured sandwich half to the right.

An alternative toi the Nori Sandwich is to pick up some well-made sushi at the local supermarket, if you have a refrigerator at work or a small lunch cooler that will keep the sushi chilled.

Whole Foods markets especially carry a range of sushi and other take-out foods for lunch and they have recycling bins for their costumers and the community.