Family Lunch

2023 Author: Anita Thornton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-22 03:30

Cereals, soup, manakish… The first meal of the day varies from one family to another, depending on their origins, culture and habits. Four families show us what they eat in the morning.

Quebec family lunch

Since they have two children, Paule Lespérance, a master’s student, and Gaël Morin, a lawyer, eat breakfast early. Charlotte, their youngest of three, usually wakes up around 6 a.m. on weekdays, like on weekends. So, little by little, the time for lunch advanced. Brunches with friends have become less frequent. "We've done less since we had the kids," explains Gaël. Potatoes, bacon and baked beans are therefore rarer at home.

During the week, because they have little time, Gaël, Paule and Émile, their 4-year-old son, usually have lunch while eating toast. Croissants and chocolatines have also become part of the family's habits, since a bakery opened its doors a few steps from their home.

Quebec breakfast in pictures

Lebanese family lunch

The big Lebanese lunch takes preparation. Mariamcooks with her eldest daughter, Zeinab.

This week, she came to visit her mother. Since most of her children have left home, Mariam does not cook as much. “Before, when we were all at home, we had big lunch all the time. Now that my brother is gone, we do it three to four times a month,” says Zeinab.

It must be said that the preparation of manakish is long. Manakish is a dough similar to that used for Lebanese pizza or bread. “In Lebanon, we usually buy them on the street,” says Zeinab. “We just bring the garnish into the restaurant and prepare it for you. »

Lebanese lunch in pictures

Mexican Family Lunch

Lunches often start before 8 a.m. at Mexican-born Oscar Ocelotl Aguirre and Caroline Williams. They are punctuated by the awakenings of Maya, their 3-year-old daughter.

Mexico, Thailand, France, Tunisia, Canada… the lunches reflect their experiences and travels: a mix of different cultures.

The family has, for example, adopted croissants and chocolatines. "I imagine it's the Montreal influence," says Oscar. "And it's true that we like sweets in the family," he adds.

But when they cook Mexican style, their plates are filled with papaya, quesadillas and scrambledeggs.

Mexican lunch in pictures

Chinese family lunch

In China, thebreakfast varies each morning. Liying Zhang prepares it with her two children Guangzhi and Guangwei Li.

Liying Zhang arrived in Quebec in 1993 with their son, to join her husband Shenwen Li, who had come to study in Laval a year earlier. Liying Zhang and Shenwen Li have remained very attached to their roots.

Since 1993, the family has grown. Dominique Guangzhi, 18, and Isabelle Guangwei, 11, were both born in Quebec. They have two names, one French and one Chinese.

At home everyone participates in the preparation of lunch. Their children love to cook. "When my eldest, who lives in Montreal, comes back to Quebec, he tells me 'I want a Chinese lunch,'" laughs Liying Zhang.

The content of lunch depends on the region, but it's always very substantial "because people get up very early", she explains. The north of the country promotes pancakes, in the south we prefer rice, vegetables and meat. Contrary to North American habits, breakfast is rarely eaten at home. "In China, in the morning, we often buy it on the street," says Liying Zhang. “It costs next to nothing. »