Brunch

In the middle of the night, I wondered when the word "brunch" was 1st used, imagining it to be in the 1950s. Not so! I learned from the OED that this portmanteau (see 2nd sense) word was coined in 1895 by British writer Guy Beringer, and Wikipedia provides the quote:

"Instead of England's early Sunday dinner, a postchurch ordeal of heavy meats and savory pies, why not a new meal, served around noon, that starts with tea or coffee, marmalade and other breakfast fixtures before moving along to the heavier fare? By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday, brunch would make life brighter for Saturday-night carousers. It would promote human happiness in other ways as well. Brunch is cheerful, sociable and inciting. It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week."~Hunter's Weekly

There are plenty of reasons to love brunch, notably the variety of scrumptious items available (1st image). One of the most notable brunches I have attended is the Sunday Gospel Brunch at the Corcoran Gallery of Art (2nd image) in Washington, D.C., with live music and free-flowing mimosas (I haven't been able to confirm that it is still held, but here is the contact, and the menu is still posted). Now that I'm here in Florida, the need for brunch brings me - believe it or not - to the senior community where I lived temporarily. They serve up a top-quality and diverse buffet with omelet bar and two entrees, if you prefer a more traditional noon meal. I learned recently that their meals are so delicious because the food service is provided by Sodexo, which brings me back to D.C. Sodexo also services the French Embassy, where I was invited to lunch on a few memorable occasions. The embassy (3rd image) is only a short walk - or in my case, scooter ride - from Georgetown University, and offers yummy French fare as well as out-of-this-world desserts. Damn, I'm hungry!