LHCb physics with the first 10-20 pb${-1}$ of data

The LHCb experiment, designed for CP violation and rare decay studies in the heavy quark sector, will also give an important contribution to the study of inclusive particle production at LHC energies. Due to the unique pseudorapidity region covered by the LHCb detector, $\eta$ = (1.8,4.9), which is complementary to the central detectors, the analysis of the first 10 - 20 pb$^{-1}$ of data will already bring an unique insight into strangeness and charm production mechanisms. The excellent vertexing and tracking capabilities allow precise measurements of the inclusive production of $K_S$, $\lambda$, $D^0$, and $J/\psi$. In addition $J/\psi$ polarization and quarkonia can be studied in a kinematical range where QCD models diverge considerably, as they have been extrapolated not only in energy but also in pseudorapidity.