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Data collected from a sample of working individuals lunching at staff cafeterias were analysed to characterise contemporary food habits in terms of meal structure, eating outside meals, and other aspects of the organization of the daily food intake. Discrepancies were found between individuals' ideas of a proper meal and their actual practices. This brings to light some contradictions between conceptions underlying the contemporary diet and the more traditional idea of a structured meal. Analysis of the eater's search for a balanced diet from a cultural and historical viewpoint opens avenues of research common to both the social sciences and food science.