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Original poster

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

999 replies

Biscoffaddict · 04/02/2021 16:33

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?!

OP posts:
HurricaneBitch · 04/02/2021 17:11

We sometimes go out for tea and eat a big meal, the absolute horror!

Tal45 · 04/02/2021 17:11

To me tea is what children have, dinner is for grown ups.

TheChip · 04/02/2021 17:12

The words "going for lunch" will never cross my lips.

Its breakfast, dinner and tea for me.
Dinner is just the middle of the day meal, weather its a sandwich or a cooked meal. Tea is the more appropriate time for a fully cooked meal.

For tea right now I am making a chicken dinner lol. Also known as a Sunday dinner or Sunday lunch as others call it.

ofwarren · 04/02/2021 17:12

@christonapeloton
Cooked or uncooked, the midday meal is dinner here

Dogonahottinroof · 04/02/2021 17:13

High tea is the meal of the working man
Met and 2 veg- single course of hearty food. Eaten at the end of the working day, typically 5.30-6.30?

Hopingformydb · 04/02/2021 17:13

Breakfast, dinner, tea
But i know the posh way is saying breakfast lunch and dinner

I'm from Manchester no one i know calls it dinner, its tea and a cup of tea is a brew 👌

1Morewineplease · 04/02/2021 17:13

@Teddy1970

I'm from down South and it's called dinner here, it's well known that there are regional variations of tea/dinner (usually North/South) so I don't know why you're making an issue of it really.
I'm down south... it's 'tea' round here.

I'm originally from the midlands and it was ' breakfast, dinner and tea' there.

Fully appreciate that ' you dinner ladies' is no longer a thing but at my school , in the south, the supervisors are called ' mid day meal supervisors.'

I always thought 'lunch' was posh.

We have 'tea' in the evenings .

And yes... it's 'roast dinner ' on Sunday lunchtimes!!!

Just call it what you will.

Chloemol · 04/02/2021 17:14

Sorry it’s lunch and dinner in my household

AprilThe8th · 04/02/2021 17:14

I'm a dinner lady and I work in the middle of the day 😊

MagicSummer · 04/02/2021 17:14

No - it's breakfast, lunch and dinner. Southerner. At my school, we had lunch served by lunch ladies to your table. I don't know anybody who calls dinner 'tea'.

WagnerTheWehrWolf · 04/02/2021 17:14

do midday dinner people have brinner at the weekend instead of brunch?

LaurieFairyCake · 04/02/2021 17:14

Howquicklytwoandtwenty890

Usually scampi or chicken in a basket or larger cheese on toast, fish and chips

Plus scones/cakes/bread and butter

Lashings of tea Wink

Scotland 1970's
I

Fressia123 · 04/02/2021 17:14

Never will call it teas it's effing dinner. Tea I'd a drink.

ofwarren · 04/02/2021 17:14

@justasking111
It would be quite obvious what meal it was for if I was booking for 8pm so I would just say "can I book a table for 8pm" without mentioning dinner or tea.
To be honest though, I would never eat at 8pm. Far too late.

HurricaneBitch · 04/02/2021 17:14

@justasking111

If you book a restaurant in the evening you do not ask the staff if you can have a table for two for tea at 8pm. Grin
"A table for two at 8pm, please"

No restaurant has ever asked what size meal I tend to eat.

CeibaTree · 04/02/2021 17:15

Tea is a drink or a light meal around 5pm on a sunday. Lunch is at lunchtime and the evening meal is either dinner or supper depending on what time. I don't know anyone who calls the evening meal tea.

Stifledlife · 04/02/2021 17:15

"Tea" is children's dinner time when they are small, so it's
Breakfast
Lunch
Baby Tea time
Dinner for adults and older children.

This is across 2 continents and many many years.

PeachPiePip · 04/02/2021 17:16

I’ve met a few people who call their evening meal “tea”. They also hold their knives like pens. I think the terminology it’s a regional/class difference, but the knife grip is baffling

Crystalclair · 04/02/2021 17:16

I loathe the saying 'tea'. It reminds me of a real mumsy, dated word.

Growing up, I only ever heard it called dinner.

WagnerTheWehrWolf · 04/02/2021 17:16

High tea is the meal of the working man
Met and 2 veg- single course of hearty food.

The words "going for lunch" will never cross my lips.

I don't know why some of these comments are cracking me up, but they are Grin

VettiyaIruken · 04/02/2021 17:16

It's a regional thing. My sister calls it tea. I used to but then I lived down south for years and now I call it dinner and tea sounds weird.

iwishiwasatcentralperk · 04/02/2021 17:16

It is definitely a regional thing. We eat

breakfast
dinner
tea

Nobody else round here refers to it as dinner either.

I don't judge people on what they call it, it's just a meal . Nobody is right or wrong as we have been brought up in different areas.

What is wrong is the people claiming that they can't possibly understand how anyone could call it something different. Never heard of regional variations on things?

FlyingFaster · 04/02/2021 17:16

Call it breakfast if you like, who cares?

paisley256 · 04/02/2021 17:17

I'm from the North so it was known as dinner then tea but down here in the South it's lunch then dinner.

TrickyD · 04/02/2021 17:17

@Parky04

Kids take a pack lunch to school, not a pack dinner!!
Actually they take packed lunches.