To hate the term 'Tea'

[ditzyglamour]

I guess I know I am as it seems the majority use it. But to me, its dinner and growing up I can never recall hearing anyone refer to it as 'Tea'.

I just find it so flowery and annoying.

Got that off my chest now 😃.

Anyone else?

I always thought it was about timing??! So kids generally have 'tea' because they eat at 5.... adults often have 'dinner' because it's more like 7/8pm?? And that some of the divide was explained by eating habits? My family in Yorkshire always have tea... but then they eat at 5-5.30ish. I find that odd as it still seems like the afternoon/part of the working day, but equally would also find it odd if they referred to having dinner (an evening activity) at 5 in the afternoon....

My dislike of the word supper has nothing to do with reverse snobbery. It's purely the sound of the word I dislike.

"Guess Who's Coming To Dinner Tea?"

"The Last Supper Tea"

There. Fixed it.

You're welcome.

Now stop bickering...

@autumnal 'you're welcome' - why do people write this on mumsnet? Welcome for what? No one said thank you to you.

I'm so with you on This! It's breakfast, lunch and dinner! Don't get me started on the word supper actually makes my blood boil!

you're welcome' - why do people write this on mumsnet? Welcome for what?

It's a really dickish way of saying, "I'm right and that's that", particularly when they aren't right.

At least on this occasion they got the use of you're correct. Small victories.

So op doesn't like calling dinner tea
Some call it supper
Others call it tea
Call it what you like it's still an evening meal
I think it's ridiculous you call it what suits you weird thread

It's tea here too, breakfast, dinner, tea. It's definitely a northern thing.

@SirRaymondLuxuryYacht

If you RTFT, you will see it's not a "Northern thing".

Plus, North where? Wales? Scotland?

Tea is sandwiches and cakes etc, lunch is lunch and dinner in the evening

@professorcat, i know. Cringe. All the cringing aaaaaaargh

Breakfast, dinner, tea...
Isn't this rooted in history somewhere? Can any history boffin comment?

User, Professor,

"...@autumnal 'you're welcome' - why do people write this on mumsnet? Welcome for what? No one said thank you to you."

"...It's a really dickish way of saying, "I'm right and that's that", particularly when they aren't right."

It was a (clearly misguided) attempt at humour.

Only aimed at a tiny handful of posters (not at the majority, including OP, who are just bantering) seriously, patronisingly, insistent that only their preferred term, be it "dinner" or "supper", was acceptable.
I was sticking up for any "tea" users.

Fine to have a preferred term; not fine to dictate and assume you know best. The "you're welcome" was meant to underline their unasked-for assumption, that's all.

[As mentioned earlier, depending on context, I use all 3 terms, so have no axe to grind either way...well, apart from "kitchen supps"/ "country supps", which is a step too far for anybody].

It obviously failed. I'll go and have a stern word with myself.

Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Supper is what you have before going to bed. Like a piece of toast and hot chocolate.

OP

What about afternoon tea?

Breakfast - the first meal of the day when you break your overnight fast
Elevenses - hot drink with maybe a biscuit
Lunch or dinner - dinner if this is your mean meal
Tea - about 4pm also nursery tea or afternoon tea - light meal of sandwiches, cake, hot drink, maybe beans on toast for a shild
Dinner - if this is your main meal
Supper - snack you have before going to bed or at some time in the evening, something like toast or warm milk if you are 5.

ShowMePotatoSalad To me that's snap or packing up

Currently reading Famous Five who are, obviously posh as fuck AND southern, and they say dinner at dinnertime midday ish and tea at teatime 5ish. Supper is before bed and may well involve cake or buns. That is in the 1930s - does this qualify me as the requested history buff??

Isn't there some snobbish rule/class signifier around 'afternoon tea' – if you're properly posh it's just 'tea' because, like, what other kind of tea IS there?

While I'm here, I'll wade in about high tea. I have an ongoing argument with a friend who insists it's just a synonym for afternoon tea.

In my book high tea is nothing of the kind, and neither is it particularly 'light' or for children. I always thought it was basically what you have when no one can be arsed really cooking – it would involve cold meats including cold cuts and a big pork pie or similar, salad, bread, cheese, maybe some boiled potatoes, pickles etc. Topped off by tea and cake (but more likely a big cake, fruit or Victoria sponge type thing, to be served in slices, as opposed to small individual afternoon-tea type cakes).

Lunch at noon, dinner early evening. Tea is a drink.

Oh yeah, and I hate the word supper. With a passion.

Ha ha... I love it, and am happy to accept all the variations, except for "supper" !! Friends of mine invite me round for "supper" (or rather "suppaa") and all I can think of is a bowl of cereals with warm milk, as my parents used to give me and my siblings, shortly before bed!!

Currently reading Famous Five who are, obviously posh as fuck AND southern, and they say dinner at dinnertime midday ish and tea at teatime 5ish. Supper is before bed and may well involve cake or buns. That is in the 1930s

That's because they are children though. Adults would not say the same.

I just had tea. A meal between 2pm and 5pm usually cake and a drink. Supper is a light meal late in the evening. Dinner is a substantial meal, served after six, and in proper company after eight.

Tea makes me cringe. I didn't think it was regional tbh, more just old fashioned.
I think it's from when people had cooked dinners at lunch time and tea as in sandwiches and cake in the afternoon?
Nowadays most people eat dinner (cooked meal) in the evening.
So we have breakfast, lunch and dinner.

That's because they are children though. Adults would not say the same.

Not Julian. Julian was 47 even when he was 12.