Brunch, Lunch…Lupper?

By Millicent Brody

The invitation read: You are cordially invited to join us for “LUPPER”
on Saturday evening, February 14th, 2009. Of course, I thought, “This has to be a joke. Who invites anyone for LUPPER? And how long has this trend been in vogue...and more than that, when did it gain credence?

Not being a slouch when it comes to trends and ideas, I whipped out my dictionary--Nothing. Next, I headed for the computer and typed in “Lupper”. Lo and behold, Merriam-Webster calls it a noun, and describes “lupper” as “a meal between lunch and supper.”

Continuing with my online research, I found that the term arrived from “across the pond;” a review of the Citizen restaurant, located in E. Toronto, Ontario, speaks of a menu featuring lunch, dinner, and brunch. (The actual menu calls it “lupper”). While, in Lethbridge AB, Canada, another site mentioned, a person wrote, “Across the Atlantic, dinner is the second meal of the day. From what I understand, the folks down under are the same way. In Canada, we live right next to the Americans; however, constitutionally we are still under the British monarchy. As a result, our English is kind of halfway between British and American, so everybody gets confused when somebody mentions dinner. Breakfast, lunch, and supper are more commonly used around here. I would be inclined to refer to a mid-afternoon meal as “Lupper”.
When mentioning this phenomenon known as “Lupper” to a friend steeped in the world of social acumen, she referred to “Lupper” as “Lunner” or “Linner”.

To get back to my dinner invitation, I called the hostess to ask what she planned to serve at 3 p.m. on Valentine’s Day?

“Oh,” she said, “We’re starting with passed hors d’oeuvres. We’re making stuffed mushrooms and bruschetta. We’ll have a cheese platter and assorted crudités. Next, we’re grilling burgers. You may have them with melted cheese, sauteed onions, lettuce and tomato, or simply plain. We’re piling baskets of fries on the table, and everyone can help themselves. Nothing fancy. For dessert, it’s the Millicent K. Brody special of Make Your Own Sundae. Four different flavors of ice cream, accompanied by hot fudge, fresh whipped cream, strawberries, and chocolate jimmies. Nothing Fancy! Just a simple Lupper. Then everyone is welcome to leave about 7 or 7:30 p.m. They can return home, or head on out to a local movie.”


I’d like to believe I am really comfortable with this new trend-savvy terminology. I’m also thinking of the many restauranteurs I know, and wondering if they might consider adding “Lupper” to their lunch and dinner service. In this trying time of budget constraints, many who shy away from enjoying dinner in their favorite eatery might easily consider a lighter bite between the hours of 3 and 5 p.m. What do you think?