To think that you’re evening meal is called ‘tea’ not ‘dinner’?!

[Biscoffaddict]

I see so many posters on here referring to their evening mea, as ‘dinner’, but in real life I’ve never met anyone who does this and it’s always ‘tea’. It always has been tea. My parents call it tea, my grandparents called it tea, my friends call it tea, my work colleagues call it tea etc. ‘Dinner’ is the meal you have in the middle of the day and that’s why school dinner ladies, are called dinner ladies!

I don’t know but I find it quite irrationally annoying! Surely I’m not alone?!

I've never understood the argument that dinner for a mid-day meal is correct because of "dinner ladies". In my northern school we called them lunch ladies. And it always made more sense to me because of the alliteration!

It’s a regional language where you live

Not it's not!

It's a class language.

@CertieCumboyle

It’s a regional language where you live

Not it's not!

It's a class language.

It's both

Lunch and dinner is correct.

Says who? Dinner and tea is corrrct round me.

I see many have picked up on my “insufferable” from page one of the thread.

Sorry, but “supper” really is an insufferable word. “Supper”, urgh, it’s horrible and shudder-worthy. From the word “sup”...

Conjures mouth-noises for me. Urgh.

And yes, if you invite me round for “supper”, I’ll turn up in my PJs at 10pm, expecting jammy toast or hot chocolate before bed.

Do you go out for tea in the evening?? No its dinner!!

I quite often say ‘pack up’ too.

I must be common.😂

This is the best way of putting it, for those snobs who insist that tea can only be a drink. And snobs they definitely are. Thank you for your sensible viewpoint, Marsha

Actually I see an awful lot of inverted snobbery on this thread. Supper is ‘insufferable’, or ‘Hyacinth Bucket’? I never get why because calling your evening meal dinner is more grandiose terminology to me. I’d only call it dinner rather than supper if we were going out or having people over and cooking several courses.

Do people who call it tea have tea parties instead of dinner parties?

I imagine a tea party would be something quite different. Possibly fewer arguments about politics though.

DH refers to any restaurant booking we make as, “Going out for tea.” 🤷🏼‍♀️

In that case, I love to sup😂🤣

Do people who call it tea have tea parties instead of dinner parties?

If I’m having friends round, I’d ask them, “Do you want to come round/stay for tea?”

Or, more often than not, the invitation is just, “Ungodly amounts of cheese and wine at ours??”

If I go out, I would probably say I was going out for a meal rather than referring to either tea or dinner.

@Blabla81

Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Tea is what I drink.

This

@ODFOx

Ffs. Every year we do this. There are meals which are related to time of day: for example Breakfast which is always the first meal of the day. You can be cute and eat it later and call it brunch but if it's the meal where you break your overnight fast it is breakfast. Thus: breakfast, elevenses, luncheon, tea, supper. These vary by area so sometimes tea is literally tea and cake and bread and butter, or sometimes it is a smaller hot meal. The only meal which isn't 'time of day' dependent is Dinner. Dinner is the main meal of the day. Thus, if you get a light tea or supper after school and luncheon is your main meal it becomes 'school dinner'. If your main meal is in the evening and lunch is a lighter meal then you have 'school lunch' and then dinner in the evening. At Christmas the Main meal is Christmas dinner, but it can be at as by time of day as it just doesn't matter. Thus if it involved a feat, Christmas dinner and Christmas lunch are synonymous. In my house I shout 'dinner' up the stairs to horrid teens or text 'come and get your tea' if they fail to appear. It is the same thing!

Rolling back to the top of this ridiculously long (TLDR) post I will suggest that if you serve dinner instead of tea you won't need supper (well maybe a glass of Port and walnuts or cheese) but not another meal).

Ah, this explains why we always had dinner, unless we had a roast for lunch in which case we had tea in the evening. I never understood the distinction except to be able to use dinner and tea interchangeably. Never lunch though, for reasons I can't explain!

I say breakfast, lunch, tea as do all my family. I am a southerner born in London as are all my family so don't agree that it is a northern thing

I don't have a region as such but I usually call it tea because it makes me smile!

Regional and I'll throw this one in again.

My friends little girl once said, ' I'm having dinner for my tea'
!

Mother northern, DD was on a play date.

I'm Welsh we have dinner and tea.

May I add that this is a British thing. Go anywhere in the world, tea will always be a drink and dinner is food.

Having read this thread, I’m going to use “supper” even more. The fuss people are making about what we call our meals! It’s hilarious.

And by the way, to the PP asking about “luncheon” - that was normal upper middle class usage for most of the 20th century. My grandmother used to say “luncheon”. She also taught me that “A lady always uses a butter knife, even when she lunches on her own” (I don’t think Grandmama counted her servants as “company”).

i call it dinner but I have called it tea (when I was a kid - one of my parents is from a region where they do). I don't have a problem with either so long as the context makes it obvious which is meant.

Why can't people learn that you're is only used when you wish to say YOU ARE? It is fucking ridiculous in this thread title.

It sounds like a northern thing?

To me, tea is just a hot beverage. I would never call dinner “tea” lol it just doesn’t make sense to me/my circle

I’ve never heard or thkight about ‘going out for tea’ or ‘booking a table for tea’ but I do like the consistency.

@Embarrasedaf

It sounds like a northern thing?

To me, tea is just a hot beverage. I would never call dinner “tea” lol it just doesn’t make sense to me/my circle

It isn't a northern thing. It's just a 'some people' thing.