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R3 Versus R7 Lunch

Amelie Borges, Class III Photo Credits Public Domain Pictures


10 A.M. or 1 P.M. lunch? At The Brooklyn Latin School, you get to experience both throughout your four years here. On Tuesday through Friday, Class IV and II discipuli eat lunch at 10 A.M. (R3) while Class III and I discipuli have lunch at 1 P.M. (R7) and on Mondays at either 12:30 P.M. or 1:15 P.M. with the shifted schedule. Both times present pros and cons which this article will examine through the opinions of discipuli at the school, as well as scientific opinions concerning the best time to have lunch.


Student opinion is incredibly important to consider when questioning which recitation is the better option. A google form was sent out to survey students concerning their opinions on the lunch recitations. 14 students from varying classes responded. Here is the breakdown:


78.6% of responses, or 11 students, responded in favor of R7 lunch. R7 is preferred by some because many restaurants around school aren’t open during R3 out-to-lunch, which is a huge issue for upperclassmen with that privilege. Some respondents also noted that R7 lunch is a much more typical time to have lunch compared to how early having lunch at R3 is. Another popular reason for preferring R7 lunch was that because it is so much later in the day, there is something to look forward to during your classes; in other words, having lunch feels like a reward. Finally, having lunch at R7 is also nice because there is only one recitation after it, so it feels like the final push needed to get through the day. Multiple discipuli in favor of R7 lunch described R3 lunch as breakfast. 


21.4% of responses, or three people, were in favor of R3 lunch - this is a significantly smaller number of respondents favoring R3 lunch, compared to those of R7. One discipulus noted that R3 lunch can energize you for the day, and since R7 was simply too late, having time to eat earlier in the day was optimal. Another discip responded that R3 lunch also gives the opportunity to collect yourself before the day starts and look over any homework or class work from the previous day, so as to feel prepared for the day ahead. In short, while it is obvious that R7 is more popular among discipuli there are also some positive aspects of R3.


Student opinions are definitely important when considering what lunch time is the best, but it’s also important to look at what is proven scientifically to be the optimal time for lunch. According to Northwestern Medicine, the best time for lunch is around four or five hours after your breakfast. Considering students commute to school, some people may be eating breakfast as early as six in the morning. This would mean that R3 at 10 A.M. is in fact the optimal time to eat lunch. It would also mean that R7 lunch is insanely late. Health line notes that the time that is optimal to eat lunch varies between everyone because of the differences in hunger levels, schedules, and when one personally prefers to eat. They also note that an earlier lunch could be considered better for you according to newer research. 


This would seem to be in favor of a lunch that is not quite as early as R3, but not as late as R7. Realistically, one lunchtime is not going to be optimal for everyone, as mealtimes and eating are something that is very individual. A large amount of research would suggest that an earlier lunch is better, but lunch at 10 A.M. might be verging on too early.


In conclusion, it is obvious that most TBLS students prefer to eat lunch later in the school day at R7 instead of earlier during R3. This differs slightly from what articles about optimal lunch times report. While these articles state that lunch should be earlier in the day, they don’t give a specific time, mostly likely because the optimal time for lunch depends on the person. So while it seems that the optimal time for lunch varies greatly for each individual, the consensus of students at The Brooklyn Latin School is that R7 lunch is superior.


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