In the minds of ordinary Russians, there are 3 meals: a light breakfast, a comprehensive lunch at work and a delicious family dinner. Sometimes an afternoon snack is added to this list, but mostly in children. However, in the 90s the situation changed somewhat, and increasingly restaurants, cafes and other establishments began to invite visitors for lunch. "What is it? Breakfast, lunch or dinner?" - Many asked themselves in perplexity. A lot of time has passed since then, but the situation has not fundamentally changed. The confusion with the word "lunch" remained.
Please do not get confused!
So, the very word "lunch", or lunch, came into the Russian language from English-speaking countries (Great Britain, the USA, etc.). They designate a daily meal a little more satisfying breakfast, but not as dense as lunch. This is where discrepancies arise. Even 30-40 years ago, when answering the question about lunch - what is it, it was right to say that this is lunch. This meal was somewhere around 11-12 hours, unlike dinner, which could take place no earlier than 3 pm.
Today, when it is no longer necessary for most British to get up so early, and the number of meals has been reduced to three, the meal has moved closer to 12.00-13.00. In fact, lunch moved the English dinner (dinner) to a later time and almost eliminated the concept of "dinner" (or supper). It is very important not to confuse these concepts when communicating with the British and Americans. Therefore, today we can say with confidence about lunch that this is lunch in the Russian understanding.
Business and lunch - what is common?
But if the word lunch is still familiar to many from English lessons, then the expression “business lunch” still baffles some. I wonder what is hidden under it? To do this, it’s good to understand the origin of this concept.
Enterprising Americans cherished every minute, and therefore often used meals to communicate with colleagues and partners. Lunch was perfect both in time and in the amount of food taken. After all, by noon, any news that could be discussed was already known, moreover, according to the rules of etiquette, you can invite to lunch just by phone call, even a festive table decoration is not required. From the combination of the English words business and lunch, the designation of such a meal appeared. Now it’s obvious business lunch is what it is.
Currently...
However, it is unlikely that restaurants, cafes and bistros, offering their clients business lunches, put the same idea into the concept. In fact, this is a comprehensive lunch consisting of the first, second, salad and drink. It is sad, but it is very reminiscent of the Soviet canteen in its worst sense, moreover, institutions of the "middle hand" often use cheap ingredients for cooking. All this affects the quality.
A high-class restaurant understands somewhat differently, business lunch - what it is. For them, this is a way to attract visitors already for a refined, and therefore more expensive dinner. Therefore, in such complex dinners there will be all the same dishes, but already selected according to the taste combination. Price reduction is nothing more than a marketing ploy. It is unlikely that most dare to go to an expensive institution without recommendations. But to give 200-300 rubles for a test lunch will be affordable for many. If a client says about a modest lunch that it is delicious, then he will probably want to visit this restaurant more than once.
A little more confusion
Probably, in order to completely confuse the average Russian, the phrase "lunch control" was coined in English. What does this have to do with nutrition? In fact - no. In fact, these are difficulties of translation (or, more correctly, transcription). In English, it looks like launch control and literally means "launch control." This term is used by motorists to refer to the electronic quick start system. Obviously, this has nothing to do with the word lunch.