From "as much food as one's hand can hold" to full blown power lunch, New York has seen it's share of mid-day meals.

On June 22nd, the New York Public Library is launching a new food exhibit dedicated to exploring the 100-year evolution of lunch in the big apple.

Lunch Hour NYC will include a reassembled section from an original Horn & Hardart automat, pushcarts with stories about iconic street-food, "the democratizing influence of sliced bread,"  the history behind how New York school lunches "became a model for the federal governments program", and more.

We love how the modern identity of lunch has transformed views of cuisine across America. It's hard to imagine the resurgence in food trucks and popup restaurants without the pressures of industrialization that forced the New York meal pattern to change.

A deeper look at the rich heritage of lunch, and the people who cook it, represents the cultural shifts of a city and country obsessed with speed of service and entrepreneurial excellence. Watch the NYPL video here.