dinner/supper

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Teo  #200151  Thu, 23 Feb 06 01:19 PM

breakfast, lunch, dinner (American English)

breakfast, lunch, supper (British English)

Am I right?

  
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Thank you very much for your reply.
nona the brit  #200183  Thu, 23 Feb 06 03:02 PM

Oh dear.....this is a looooooong topic. It has been discussed in the past here at some length.

Just on the Brit English side, class, region and habit has a lot to do with what we call our meals. I think the only one we all agree on is breakfast.

Then the midday meal can be either lunch or dinner depending on who you are and sometimes there is a difference if it is a weekend and we are talking a 'roast dinner', which could be served at lunchtime (or you might call it dinnertime, early afternoon anyway)

Then the evening meal can be dinner, tea, or supper depending on who you are.

Then there are also other smaller 'snack' meals taken by some that are also called tea or supper - but not many people eat these nowadays.

Do a search on this forum and you'll find lots of info

Have fun...

  
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Anonymous  #200238  Thu, 23 Feb 06 05:40 PM
Supper is late and light.
  
Sabisi  #218380  Fri, 21 Apr 06 12:02 PM

Hello... we are two German girls... at the time working on a term paper for school.

Can somebody tell us maybe what you normally eat for dinner?

We know already just one example like lamb with mint flavoured sauce or roast beef and Yorkshire Pudding.

 

It would be a great help, because unfortunately we have never been to England and therefore we haven’t any friends that we could ask ;o)

 

Greetings from Germany

 

Isabel and Sabine

 

 

  
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nona the brit  #218392  Fri, 21 Apr 06 12:56 PM

Hi,

It's hard to say as we eat all types of food here and lots of people don't just stick to 'English' food but enjoy all sorts. The examples you give are what we call a roast dinner and these are usually saved for Sundays. (You'd get pretty fat if you ate like that all week!)

Roast dinners - examples

Lamb with mint sauce/roast beef/roast pork with crackling (crispy skin) and apple sauce/roast chicken. One of these would be served with Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, and vegetables.

Other traditional English dinners

Toad in the hole - sausages baked in a large Yorkshire pudding.

Beef stew/casserole - lots of variations on this

Shepherds/cottage pie. Minced lamb (shepherds) or beef (cottage) in gravy baked in the oven with mashed potato on top.

Most people eat quite a lot of chips too. I try to stick to once a week or so but I grew up eating them probably 3 or 4 times a week. Meals like egg and chips, sausages and chips, chop and chips are very common.

But if you want to know what I really ate over the last week for dinner:

Thursday - spaghetti carbonara with mixed salad

Wenesday - cottage pie with brocolli, carrots and mixed fried onions/leeks

Tuesday - vegetable rice (onion, orange pepper, carrot, brocolli) with pork chop

Monday - caesar salad, and southern fried chicken pieces

Sunday - shared chinese takeaway (egg fried rice, pork chow mein, prawn crackers, lamb in black pepper sauce, lemon chicken)

Saturday - bacon, egg and chips with peas

Friday - fried trout (a freshwater fish), cheese and chive mashed potato, sweetcorn, asparagus, carrots.

  
Teo  #218435  Fri, 21 Apr 06 03:24 PM
Anonymous  #218457  Fri, 21 Apr 06 04:26 PM
Hi,
thank you so much!
Because we searched a long time for a right definition or sth. like that for supper/dinner and found nothing.
Your answer will be a great help for us!
Thanks, greetings
Isabel and Sabine
  
CalifJim  #218682  Sat, 22 Apr 06 09:58 AM
breakfast, lunch, dinner (American English)

Teo,
I would call that urban American English.
In rural areas it's breakfast, dinner, supper (rural American English).
CJ
  
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"There are no facts, only interpretations" - Nietzsche
MrPedantic  #218713  Sat, 22 Apr 06 12:59 PM
 Sabisi wrote:

Hello... we are two German girls... at the time working on a term paper for school.

Can somebody tell us maybe what you normally eat for dinner?

We know already just one example like lamb with mint flavoured sauce or roast beef and Yorkshire Pudding.

 

It would be a great help, because unfortunately we have never been to England and therefore we haven’t any friends that we could ask ;o)

 

Greetings from Germany

 

Isabel and Sabine

 

 

Curry is very popular: usually lamb, beef, or chicken. In fact, it was voted the "nation's favourite dish" in a recent poll. (Of course, there are many different kinds of curry.)

MrP

  
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