The Americans Stole Our Lunch

The Americans Stole Our Lunch

The Americans bound us in chains,
Tradition has gone to the wall,
They stole our lunch, now all that remains
Is pretty much burger all.

When, back in the early seventies,
Fast food came over the ocean,
Our chance for lunchtime pleasantries
Gave way to time and motion.

Germany too succumbed to the tide,
This couldn't have been expected,
Hamburgers sizzled as onions fried -
Frankfurters too were affected.

The Burghers of Calais were worried,
Not relishing smells from Dover,
Then lost what had once been unhurried
As the take-away took over.

In Europe's South, traditions persist,
They savour their food with pleasure,
I'm sure that they, at least, will resist
And carry on lunching at leisure.

But if ever Spain and Italy fall,
Give way to the fast food trend,
You'll never find lunch in Europe at all -
No starters, no afters, the end.