Charlotte Senior Center always on sunnyside of street

Wikipedia notes that “brunch” was coined in England in the late nineteenth century. New York Times restaurant critic William Grimes was more specific, writing that Guy Beringer coined the term in 1895. He noted that Beringer wrote, “Brunch is cheerful, sociable and inciting.”

Grimes offers brief descriptions about this linguistic and culinary hybrid so popular in New York City: “Breakfast that begins with a cocktail. Or a lunch that’s organized around a stack of buckwheat pancakes. It’s neither fish nor fowl nor good red herring, although all three can wind up on the same plate.”

The piece, “At Brunch, The More Bizarre the Better,” with tales of the ups and downs about what Grimes terms “New Yorkers’ favorite weekend meal,” is a good read and offered as a gift article to readers of The Charlotte News here “At Brunch, The More Bizarre the Better”.

This is one of 12,318 articles in The Times about brunch. There, you’ll find recipes for all manner of items they describe as edible, from pickle biscuits to peanut butter banana bread with chocolate chips, to zucchini-peach salad with lime dressing. And many, many more.

According to Wikipedia, the universally accepted time for partaking of brunch is 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Not surprisingly, the inimitable Judge John Hodgman disagrees.

To get to his brunch proclamation, you must push yourself not to linger over Hodgman’s thoughts on proper pringle consumption, the dos and don’ts of eating mayonnaise, the ethics of naming a child after a pet dog and the dos and don’ts of preventing a spouse from growing a plant (that occasionally smells like a rotting corpse), not to mention his advice on the probity of getting help on Wordle.

Here is Judge John Hodgman on the proper time to partake of brunch (The New York Times, July 21, 2022): “Brunch defies time … unless it’s on asparagus, even Hollandaise sauce, eaten alone out of the fridge at midnight, is brunch.”

Writing in The New Yorker, Anthony Bourdain, Culinary Institute of America graduate, celebrity chef at numerous prestige restaurants and television host of “A Cook’s Tour” and other culinary adventure shows, declared, “You can dress brunch up with all the focaccia smoked salmon and caviar in the world, but it’s still breakfast.”

The Grimes piece balances a restaurant owner complaining of customer requests, including that the staff butter his toast, with a chef reflecting on why people love brunch because it “reminds you of childhood, when someone was cooking for you.”

This brings us back to Guy Berringer’s 1889 vision of brunch: “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.’’

“Cheerful, sociable and inciting” is a great way to characterize meals at the Charlotte Senior Center. And to end the year the volunteer cooks and dishwashers there invite you to sweep away your worries and cobwebs with good food and good conversation at Monday Munch. The promised meal has no mimosas but no pickle, peanut butter or zucchini weirdness either.

Of critical importance: Someone else is doing the cooking and the cleaning up. All you need to do is eat, be sociable and enjoy yourself.

Sounds like a song lyric: No matter what the weather, the kitchen at the Charlotte Senior Center is definitely on the sunny side of the street. In that vein, here is Louis Armstrong crooning the popular tune.

On Dec. 16 you can bring sunshine into your life with the Charlotte Senior Center meal billed as Holiday Brunch 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., sausage, egg, cheese and hashbrown casserole, fruit salad, cinnamon rolls and hot cocoa.

Everyone is welcome. No reservations needed. A $5 contribution is appreciated but not required.

This is the last Monday Munch at the Charlotte Senior Center until 2025. But note this special event on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 4:30-6:30 p.m. — gingerbread house-building party. It’s free, but registration is required.

This event, hosted by the Champlain Valley Union High School Senior Community Service Club, invites seniors to get creative while enjoying the holiday spirit. All the materials will be provided.

Come share some laughs, delicious treats and good company, as people celebrate the season together. Space is limited. To register, call 802-425-6445.