The Identical Lunch comprises "a tunafish sandwich on wheat grass toast with lettuce and butter, no mayo, and a large glass of buttermilk or a cup of soup". Knowles invited many of her friends to participate in this performance, and she documents the records of their experiences in her 1971 publication, 'Journal of the Identical Lunch'.
Reading through the diary-like entries that comprise the book, it quickly becomes apparent that the only element that remains even loosely identical is the description of the meal as it appears as a meal option on a restaurant menu.
The journal entries record the wide number of variables that the score permits, and which are contingent on the venue, the chef, the food products themselves, the waiter service, the mood of the performer, and so on.
One entry by Jim Maya in Knowles' publication succinctly summarizes what other contributors also imply:
'The identical food demands little or no thought:
The surrounding activities take all your thought:
The waitress, her hair, her lips, the napkins,
Their embossments or lack of embossments.
The stools, the chairs, the heat.
When you've finished --
You hardly know you've eaten.'
Riss Restaurant closed long ago, but to this day Knowles continues to perform Identical Lunch in various locations.