Mah went to volunteer at the American Library and gradually realized she was committing a faux pas when she left, picked up a salad or other item for lunch, and brought it back to eat in front of her computer. "Though a flurry of recent news articles has reported the demise of the traditional French lunch break, I witnessed the inverse among my colleagues," Mah wrote. "Even when they heated up leftovers or nibbled on a baguette sandwich, they preferred to dine in the small office kitchen, seated at a table, with a napkin and proper cutlery. After they finished eating, they read a book or took a walk and didn't return to their desks until the entire hour had elapsed.... The idea of eating mindlessly and hurriedly in front of the computer was unwholesome to the point of being unhealthy."
