Unlunchables I'm an American. This is probably why I sometimes I don't understand my Italian family. There are times when I just don't get it, and don't feel a need to get it. For example, for lunch they can sit there and eat cheese and olives, and that's it. That's the whole meal. Maybe include some tomato slices as well. This is not lunch. Lunch is at least a sandwich with some kind of killed animal slices between the bread, with some cheese thrown in if it floats your boat. Sometimes it's leftovers. It's not side dishes and parts of a salad. This Italian eating habit confuses me. It's at best a snack, and not a very good one at that. A snack is potato chips or a bowl of cereal in the afternoon or a twinkie. Something yummy that can hold you over til dessert. Cheese I can tolerate, but olives? One of the worst foods ever, hands down. They taste bad and they have those little red things in there that look like the corner of your eyes. At least that's what I always think of.