Monday, April 04, 2011

Time for tea? Get it right! (As posted on Chris Evans' blog on Monday 4th April 2011)

Dear Chris

Firstly: Happy Birthday for Friday!

Secondly, I wondered if we could start a (slightly tongue in cheek) campaign across the nation please?

The thing is this:

In no other Country do they get the names of meals confused.

In Germany for instance, lunch is Mittagessen, evening meal Abendessen. France, lunch is Dejeuner, Evening meal, Diner. etc.....

But in England we have great confusion.

Surely luncheon or lunch has always been known the meal that comes in the middle of the day? This means that the evening meal must be dinner. Supper is something before bed, a light snack and tea is an afternoon meal, eaten around 4 p.m. with sandwiches cakes and scones etc?

But no!

We are so complicated as a nation...

Instead we call lunch dinner, dinner tea, supper at some time during the evening. We do call dinner dinner, that is "dinner in the evening" if you are going out to dinner or having a dinner party. Ladies who lunch don't do "ladies who dinner". If you go out for afternoon tea you would certainly be eating tea and scones. Not to be confused with the tea that people eat for their evening meal.

Of course if you are really in the know, there is High Tea too, which is probably what many would call tea, dinner, evening meal etc.

FOR GOODNESS SAKE!!!!

Can we please sort this out Chris? As a man who can talk to the nation I am asking if you would please talk some sense into the nation:

Lunch when it's light
Dinner when it's dark
Tea at teatime: 4 p.m.
Supper: Shortly before bed.

Thank you!

Sally Lomax

5 comments:

ChrisB said...

Sally this had me laughing - it's the English trying to confuse the rest of the world!!!

Unknown said...

I had breakfast this morning, lunch in the pub at 1 ish,dinner will be at 6-30pm. As for high tea, I don't do drugs!!

sallywrites said...

Good for you John. I'm glad you understand :) I think you're right Chris.

Pamela said...

it gets a little bit confusing here, too. Glad to know we are in good company.

I don't care what you call it.. and long as you call me to it.

Norma said...

Now I know why we're also confused about this in the U.S. It's all England's fault. Lunch is noon, but dinner can be Sunday at noon. Dinner is evening but sometimes it's supper. Brunch is mid-morning. No tea time here, that I know of. Everything else is snacking, and boy, do we show that meal!