What on earth is this mealtime snobbery about?

[Diemme]

At 6.45 this evening, DH and I went to sit outside at front of the house to have a coffee and enjoy the last of the sun - we live in a close with benches outside the houses. Almost immediately our neighbours came back from a dog walk. They chatted for a few minutes and then she said she was going in to make dinner. I mentioned just in small talk that we'd already eaten. And I swear she did a head tilt and tinkly laugh as she said gosh that's early. Then she went inside and her husband arranged his face in a sort of patronising / pitiful expression and asked why we'd eaten so early. It's not just them, ive come across it loads of times. It's as if there's a bizarre sense of superiority to eating at 8 rather than say 6.

Isn’t it ironic that eating earlier is much healthier and better for your weight than eating later, especially shortly before bedtime?

I'm from the Midlands and supper for my more working class Grandparents was more a snack as they had already had tea earlier on. I say breakfast, lunch then dinner but it wouldn't be unusual to have some tea on a Sunday later on if I'd had Sunday Roast about 2pm. I just don't like eating later unless it's a bag of crisps with my wine (obviously only the one glass). It's all very complicated. I don't actually stick to a rule.

Isn’t it better to eat early so you can digest your food before going to bed? I dont normally eat until 8-9pm but that’s because I work until 7pm not because I want to.

JonSnowIsALoser why ironic?
I eat late. Have never had indigestion (no idea what it feels like) and have always been a healthy weight. No digestion or bowel issues. Of course it may be causing me unknown issues 🤷🏻‍♀️, but not sure what they are.

It’s their dog I feel sorry for .

In our family we have breakfast lunch dinner.

I’m quite old and still don’t know what tea or supper means.

I’ve seen lots of threads on here that suggest two meals for kids after school. Still can’t get my head around this and I think I’m starving my son buy giving only dinner?

What's the 2nd meal?

Supper isn't a meal.

I moved to the North East and had several embarrassing afternoons when I invited people for tea, gave them said beverage (and a biscuit, I’m not mean!) and it was very awkward when they wouldn’t leave...

When I was a child we ate tea anout 6.10, when my dad got in from work, he normally worked a 12 hour shift so was hungry by the time he got home. Now we aim to eat tea between 6 and 7, for two reasons. I have always thought it important to eat altogether as a family wherever possible, and I think it’s a lot healthier to eat at this time, more conductive for s good nights sleep, if either me or dh aren’t iin, the parent that is in prepares tea and eats with the kids and puts a plate aside for the other partner.

So, what’s tea/supper/dinner?

I thought they might be different names for one thing but I’m not sure? Am I not feeding enough. Ds 13 gets a snack when he gets home at 4pm (some fruit or some veg sushi or a hot dog sausage with some tomatoes).

He has dinner at 6.30 which is main evening meal. I think he has snack and then dinner. But perhaps this is tea with dinner (I thought supper was a late night thing?).

I’ve always considered 5:30ish to be normal dinner time, that’s when I thought “most people” ate. I feed the kids around this time. I wish I sat and ate with my kids but I don’t eat until late, reason being is that I like to eat dinner in peace so it’s better for me that’s everything’s done and everyone’s happy before hand!

Those claiming to be ‘posh’ aren’t if you call the evening meal dinner. If you are properly posh it’s supper if eaten at home and dinner if eating out. We say breakfast, lunch and dinner.

@Howrudeforme that's a snack and dinner. A last snack before bed is supper.

If anyone wants a new word/phrase to despise other than "supper" I give you:
"kitchen supps/sups".

Seemingly an evening meal (8ish) that people other than family are invited to but is not posh enough to be called "dinner" (which would be the full 3 course Monty plus cheeseboard).

Does make me a tad queasy.
(Obviously I still go. Anything for a free meal)

@howrudeforme it's breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you already had a hot lunch and fancy something cold e.g.sandwiches, salad & cake then dinner becomes tea. Supper is a small snack late in the evening, past 6pm. E.g. a piece of pork pie/sausage roll/crackers.

Nothing wrong with a kitchen supper. Everything wrong with ‘eating sups’. You play in the sea on a sup.

I think what we used to call dinner when I was young is now called 'supper'.

Personally, I'd avoid the front of your house too if it means speaking to any neighbours!

Oh phew - thanks @Beautiful3 and @ElizaDee - makes sense - I’m not starving my kid. I’m sure this is all different terminology depending on part of country.

*Beautiful3

@howrudeforme it's breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you already had a hot lunch and fancy something cold e.g.sandwiches, salad & cake then dinner becomes tea. Supper is a small snack late in the evening, past 6pm. E.g. a piece of pork pie/sausage roll/crackers.*

This is what I think.

Eating at 5/6pm seems crazy early to me!

We tend to eat around 7.30-8.30pm. Works for us.

When the dc were small, and I had a dh who finished at 5 in a manual job, we ate around 5.30. Now I’m single with older dc we usually eat between 7&8. Sometimes if people have evening stuff on I’ll cook and anyone getting in later can reheat theirs as and when.
As for dinner vs tea, I grew up in the southeast with breakfast, lunch, and tea; dinner was what you went out for. Now in Scotland it’s breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but you go out for your tea, and if you have your main meal at lunchtime it’s your dinner!

I've never head of such a thing. You eat when you want to. Who dictates a time when you eat? Snobby? I call it downright ridiculous!!!

I think you read a lot into some facial expressions. Stop caring so mych - resign from that offended position.

It's interesting how many variations there are. I'm in Scotland and to me dinner is the last/evening meal regardless of what's served. If i go out to eat and have a big meal around lunchtime or so, it's still lunch to me, never dinner.

I’m with all the posters saying never mind what time you ate this evening - it’s the sitting in the front garden that makes you common

Clutch those pearls in horror I'm here to shock you all.
Despite having a small semi detached on a corner plot with a small triangle of back garden, I HAVE NO BACK DOOR.
Which ever idiot designed my house put both doors on the front, so yes you might see me in the front garden of an evening.