To not understand the unwritten rule of not having 2 hot meals a day?

[Justanothernamechange2]

Seeing it more and more that people cant have hot food twice a day.. cant possibly have spag bol for dinner because they had soup for lunch etc. It was a recent debate in my workplace so wondered how the jury of MN feel.

Surely its more about portions than temperature?

Id happily eat hot food for every meal - lunch is just typically smaller than my evening meal or vice versa sometimes at weekends...

I don't think it's a rule as such. Children who have school dinners have a cooked meal at lunchtime then another cooked meal with their family at dinner.

I make it a rule in my house that they have something light like sandwiches/wraps/filled pitta bread or egg/cheese/beans on toast (or Greg's sausage roll 😉) for lunch. I cook at dinner time. I have better things to do than cook twice in a day, as do most people.

I'm sure nobody will turn a hair if you have soup or something on toast for one meal and a cooked meal for another. Or whatever you want really.

The rule is "can't have cook for tea and cook for dinner" and it's written in my MIL's blood.

You are right OP. I have seen this at every place i've worked. colleagues questioning why are you're having a hotmeal for lunch, can't you just have a salad? are you still going to have a hotmeal when you come home? Most of them bring in either a sandwich or salad to work. Hardly any have a hotmeal meal. Quite often you hear people say, we'll have a 'hotmeal for dinner' the implication being only one hotmeal a day. I assume its just a british thing.

My mum definitely had this rule growing up, but only at weekends. During the week we would have a hot school lunch and a hot dinner but weekends if we had a cooked lunch we’d have a more lunchey dinner (sarnies etc)
Until now I hadn’t realized but I tend to follow this rule that too.. 🤷‍♀️

Probably from the same rule book that breakfast must NEVER be eaten at 10.26.

My mother has to have one hot meal a day but not two. No hot meal for the day equals not eating correctly. So she will tell me I don’t need a cooked meal if I’ve already had one. Except I’m gluten intolerant and don’t eat much gf bread. Too right I have cooked food more then once. She does that thing of only having a sandwich if she’s going out in the evening or vis Versa.

10.26?

It's odd. Loads of people I know comment that I shouldn't bother cooking for DC that have school dinners. They say I should just give them sandwiches etc.
The same loons seem won't eat anything but a roast on Sunday and think beans on toast or soup and a roll isn't a suitable evening meal.
They probably have to eat a 'proper' tea before pancakes on pancake day too.

However, after three “hot” meals yesterday, today I’ve had a bana for breakfast, a cheese and tomato roll and a piece of fruitcake for lunch and won’t be having anything this evening as I’m just not hungry. ....

I had 3 hot meals today.

They probably have to eat a 'proper' tea before pancakes on pancake day too. hmm

Do such people actually exist 🙀 ..... no no no it is immoral to eat anything other than huge amounts of pancakes on pancake day. (And a few other days per year when the fancy takes......)

I was brought up like this as a child, we generally had cereal for breakfast, a cooked dinner at lunchtime, something light at teatime (bread and butter with something on it usually) and another bowl of cereal before we went to bed. I think we used to have 'high tea' on Saturday, if I remember rightly, which was something cooked, like scrambled eggs or baked beans on toast.
It was just a financial thing really rather than an actual rule.
As for myself, I only cook properly once a day, though I do myself a hot breakfast (porridge or beans on toast with a poached egg) after swimming. During the heatwave a couple of months ago I didn't cook anything at all, I didn't turn my oven or hob on at all because we have an open plan house and any heat at all rises to the bedrooms and makes them unbearably hot. So it was cold food for everyone, probably for 3 or 4 weeks.

I was brought up like this! No couldn't so much as wouldn't. It was always a sandwichey type meal, and a 'proper' one which was hot, and the main.

Now my mum is aghast if I don't have a hot one and have two cold ones. She doesn't understand

I much prefer hot food, especially in the winter. Unless it's hot weather cold food is second best imo. I usually eat 3 hot meals a day.

I'd love three hot meals a day in winter.

Is it some form of self denial?

Eh?! Nonsense...! I've been known to have (hot) porridge in the morning, a bowl of (hot) pasta and pesto for lunch and then a hot dinner of whatever else...! I've lived to tell the tale 😂

I saw this recently on a fb group. People were posting what they’d had for lunch, when someone asked “are you all having sandwiches for tea? You can’t have another hot meal”
I thought it was weird but I have vague recollections of my older relatives talking about something similar. Could it be linked to stoves? Cooking a hot meal whilst heating the house, warming bath water, etc. No point having the stove on again if you can’t multitask it.

Ragwort could you please explain that to my DC's school. They have compulsory school dinners "so that children are guaranteed one hot meal a day".

Here's a scenario:

You and your partner work at the same workplace. One day you both go out for Christmas lunch with your team. Would you then have a cooked meal (meat, veg etc) that evening?

I have porridge for breakfast now its getting colder and have a hot roll at work for lunch then dinner which is always a hot meal. Tonight was pizza and wedges

I’ve never heard this.

Most people at my work have a hot meal from the canteen at lunch so I’m pretty sure a lot of people are having two hot meals a day.

Never heard this.
DD1 usually has 3 hot meals a day... eggs in toast or porridge for breakfast, school dinner then a proper evening meal.
In the summer they often have 3 cold meals a day. Fruit and yoghurt for breakfast, picnic lunch then things like ham/cheese/salad etc for dinner. No one has ever told me I’m doing things wrong!

The temperature of food does not change its nutritional value.

I've had porridge for breakfast, McD's chicken mayo for lunch, and a hotpot for dinner... I'm such a rebel

Winter is great as you can have hot main course and hot pudding! Alas for dinner I have jelly for pudding.

What happens about supper (late night snack) can that be hot? I fancy some cheese on toast already!