Two-Minute Dinner, According to a Forum User: Salad, Egg, and Tuna

Salad, egg, and tuna: the two-minute dinner, according to a forum user

How long does it take to prepare a decent dinner? According to one participant, two or three minutes, if you look at the image circulating these days: olive oil, apple cider vinegar, nutmeg, pepper, and whole wheat bread. A fork. The scene —a chipped plate, a spoon presented as being from the time of Isabella II, a paper tablecloth with crumbs— has been enough to reopen a recurring discussion about what we eat, how long we take, and why.

The chipped plate as a social X-ray

Some see in that doubly chipped plate and that spoon presented as being from the time of Isabella II a postcard of poor nobility, of a house with more lineage than budget. Others simply focus on the paper tablecloth with crumbs. The cited menu includes salad, oil, and whole wheat bread.

Chickpeas, egg, and tuna: the no-frills cooking

The recipe allows for variations. A jar of chickpeas, boiled eggs, a can of tuna in olive oil. Between two and three minutes of preparation, according to one participant. Some argue that dressing food is for people with means. Others defend the dish as a summer solution.

Lack of time or pure laziness?

The disagreement is the usual one. One participant attributes it to being busy: those who spend the day on screens don't find time to cook; and adds the detail of the schedule: eating at the 'rich people's' times. Another points to pure laziness. In between, some describe a ritual: leaving a finger of dressing and tomato juice at the bottom, tipping the plate, and drinking it. Nutritious, says one participant. And a perfect summer dish, adds another.

With these ingredients, dinner would still be resolved, according to that calculation, in two minutes. And the question —whether that counts as dinner or not— would remain unanswered.