Why is lunch present in Valencian lands with more vitality than in other regions of Spain, where it has languished or has passed away directly?
You already know... a healthy and productive society cannot afford the relaxation and absenteeism at work that we have here.
L'Esmorzaret has evolved. Until recently it was something simple, everyday and popular. Suddenly it began to take shape as an unstoppable trend. At the beginning there were the typical places, the usual ones, where there was not much to choose from, not like now, with two ways to have lunch: between bread or a plate; with a series of elements to share: cacaus, tramussos and olives; In the best of cases, they offered a good salad dressed with popular pickles: vitets, pepper/tomato salmorra, pickled onion, taperots, shepherd's raïm... The always shared drink: a bottle of beer or light wine with soda was to draw the paradise. Little by little, the burnt rum carajillo became popular, whose lineage undoubtedly descends from a genealogical branch of Jaume I, as happens with everything Valencian: “From Jaume I.” In this case they come from the Castellón part, so rich and sweet. It was a trap for the capital's hospitality industry, which was forced by popular demand to include cremaet in its offering. See if those from the cap i casal will be daring who have dared to set the tone, pontificating on the way it is made, always with a stratification of layers, we suppose inspired by Asian coffee from Murcia. You know, everything we like we assimilate with a different and decorated touch, until it becomes flamboyant Gothic. In the case of cremaet and other pseudo creations this has been the case. We have no measure with good taste, we embrace “coentor”.
Since lunch has gotten worse and we don't know where it will end, it is time to establish a relationship adjusted to the hospitality reality that surrounds us. What can diners find at lunchtime? Too many things. The offer is so wide that we run the risk of getting lost in the forest and ending up in the jaws of the wolf. A reflection on what is happening with Valencian lunch has never been more necessary.
Taxonomy is the science that deals with the principles, methods and purposes of classification, generally scientific. It is especially applied within biology, for the hierarchical and systematic organization of groups of animals and plants. Classification or arrangement into groups of things that have common characteristics. Maybe if we put it in order it will be better understood.
Lunch surprises the stranger. You just have to see the look on a stranger's face when you take him for a walk through the Valencian Community, and you say "Let's have lunch!
Today in the Valencian Community there are three large families of lunches:
1 Popular lunches: It is the lunch for workers and other people who get up early with a purpose in life or carry out productive work for our society, specific to the work week, from Monday to Friday. It is affordable for all budgets because the hospitality industry works with minimal commercial margins. We know it, that is why it deserves our respect and it is not advisable to get upset. I mean respect their rules and schedules to the letter. In this type of lunch we can find both large and small establishments, from lunch counters to family bars, where there are display cases with a wide variety of prepared products, cauldrons with homemade stews, tortillas to taste, garden products (cabbage, artichokes, peppers, fried eggplant...), with the possibility of filling the plate or sandwich with whatever we want, no matter how varied it may be, at a fixed price. Some are almost militarized, where you have to wait in line to get the ticket, or order the sandwich and wait for a free table. I insist, you have to respect their rules.
Client profile: Farmers, workers from all economic sectors, except the self-employed who are always working, and if they ever do it it is at the workplace; university students, cyclists and all the silverbacks (retirees) who have already fulfilled their duty to society.
2 Gastrolmuerzos: It is the next step that the Valencian hospitality industry has taken to obtain greater profitability by offering extra quality, service and environment to its customers. Gastrolunches are here to stay because they open up an immense range of possibilities; such as the interpretation of our pantry generating proposals that defend local products, highlighting a certain story. This type of lunch is aimed at a different audience, seeking to attract the attention of the traveler who visits us and gain followers for the cause. Raising the level and the profit margin is interesting. The gastrolunch includes products different from the popular lunch due to their quality and price. It's not a problem, there are always people willing to pay to have the most exclusive. A clear example is quality grilled meats, such as the secret and the Iberian Presa; signature sandwiches; have the option of buying a dozen Dénia prawns at the market, and having them grilled at a bar in the market itself, along with a tapa of dried octopus. Do you see gastrolunches? It's simple.
Client profile: Executives, liberal professions, food lovers and above all tourists, but also any human being who wants to enjoy life for a weekend or holiday. A tribute doesn't hurt anyone.
The third category is an anomaly
3 Lunches Destarifo:
Any establishment can sign up for Destarifo lunches. All it takes is for the owner to allow himself to be cajoled by some unscrupulous person with a bit of muscle on social media, and that's it. I don't understand the desire of some businessmen to imitate unhealthy North American customs.
Customer profile: Sweet potatoes in general.
4 Healthy Lunches/Lunchfoodies:
They are lunches based on whole grain spelled bread toast on which only 3 ingredients are placed: avocado, salmon and sprouts.
Client profile: Organic sweet potatoes.
Enjoy the first two, the rest, I hope someone decides to fill Madrid with franchises.
