What is a Plate Lunch?

While uses for the term of plate lunch may vary from one location and culture, there are some very specific examples of what people mean when a meal is referred to as a plate lunch. Here are a few examples of how this simple but often well-rounded meal appears in different settings.

The origins for describing a meal as a plate lunch appear to hail from Hawaii. More properly known as pa mea ’ai, plate lunches within this setting generally refer to three components. A Hawaiian food plate lunch will consist of a helping of macaroni salad, white rice and some sort of meat entrée, usually broiled or baked.

This form of the plate lunch is often referred to as an example of a syncretic menu, meaning that it draws the elements from more than one culture or geographical region. Certainly rice is a staple in many cultures and helps to give the plate lunch a bit of pan-Asian flair. Macaroni or pasta is certainly a favorite across the world. Meat selections can range from anything to ground beef to lamb, chicken, or ham. The result is a tasty meal that draws on a nice cross section of what the world has to offer.

In the southern region of the United States, the plate lunch is usually associated with an arrangement of a meat entrée and three vegetables. Southern culture dictates that a proper plate lunch will include are least one green vegetable and never more than one starch per meal. Thus, the Southerner wishing to honor tradition may choose a green vegetable and rice or a potato, but never rice and potatoes at the same time. Some people will refer to go with a starch, a green vegetable and choose carrots or something similar to complete the picture.

A plate lunch in the Midwestern United States is similar to the Southern version, but without any restrictions on the choices of vegetables. Thus, a proper Midwestern plate lunch could easily consist of a meat, potatoes, rice, and macaroni. In fact, there is often an array of starches found on buffets in many Midwestern restaurants.

Variations of the plate lunch are often impacted by local customs and also dietary preferences or needs. For example, the so-called California plate lunch could be a vegetarian delight that might include an entrée that is either soy-based or made with tofu, a raw garden salad, and marinated legumes.

The plate lunch is a favorite offering in many restaurants, as it allows the kitchen to prepare larger amounts of selected foods that can be dished up quickly when patrons place an order. To the hungry customer, a plate lunch menu offers the ability to make some quick and easy choices that will result in a tasty meal for a relatively low price. The end result is a lot of happy people all the way around.