Over about 15 years, what began as a mere group meal has evolved into a cherished ritual, a feast during which we stop just short of chucking bones over our shoulders to the dogs.
But in the United States, with its narrow-minded insistence on a mere three meals a day, tapas has become dinner.
A couple of years later, after a mere ten-course meal celebrating the magnificent white truffle at Babbo, I walked Jim back to his hotel.
Indeed, the only obvious Trumpian touch on the meal: a mere three courses — one course fewer than at the state dinners hosted by the Obamas.
Punching my emaciated pillow and kicking the prickly, green-checked blanket to the foot of my bunk, I recalled my last meal, a mere four hours earlier, with hazy nostalgia.
It's certainly true that even after lunch at Le Bernardin, where you can eat tremendously well without emerging feeling like an engorged duck primed to donate your liver to the cause of foie gras, the prospect of another rich meal a mere five hours in the distance seems more a threat than a golden reward.
Only 7% of Americans now eat breakfast on the go, and a mere 2% of those meals come from fast-food restaurants.
A three-course meal runs a mere 30 lira, about $22 at1.377 lira to the dollar.
The US won the dubious title of most calorific Christmas meal by a mere two calories, while France, Germany, Brazil and Croatia also made the top 10.
Accompanied by slices of bread and butter and a mug of strong tea, this succulent golden fish makes a mouth-watering meal for a mere £8.95.
