The Great Midday Meal Debate

[Lost Leopard Spot]

I have no illusions that this debate will be settled by this thread, I just want a little statistical light shed on it.

For what it's worth, me mam always uses dinner for midday meals and tea for yer five o'clockers.
Whereas I, on the other hand, always use the grammatical constructs of lunch and dinner.
My father is of the confused variety and sometimes calls his lunch dinner.

Register your preference. We haven't had a poll for a while.

[thebish]

it's SCONE - as in GONE!

[Lost Leopard Spot]

it's SCONE - as in GONE BONE !

fixed it

[thebish]

it's SCONE - as in GONE BONE !

fixedbroken it

[TANGODANCER]

One time it was breakfast, afternoon meal and supper. Lunch (luncheon) was an invention brought in because of dinner ( afternoon meal) being pushed further and further back in the day due to trends changing. In our house it was tea and toast ,dinner time and tea time. Supper was a drink and a biscuit. Have it as you will.

[Prufrock]

Was always dinner then tea at home. Kept to that at uni, but I've given up now and say 'lunch' because 'dinner' confuses the southerners. Lunch I've given in to, but I still say tea unless I'm 'going out for dinner'. For some reason I feel like a charlatan if I call my evening meal dinner.

Your poll doesn't have all the options. Girlf's family (southern) say lunch and tea unless they're going out.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Was always dinner then tea at home. Kept to that at uni, but I've given up now and say 'lunch' because 'dinner' confuses the southerners. Lunch I've given in to, but I still say tea unless I'm 'going out for dinner'. For some reason I feel like a charlatan if I call my evening meal dinner.

Your poll doesn't have all the options. Girlf's family (southern) say lunch and tea unless they're going out.

The bits in brackets are optional thus your girlf's family's lunch and tea fits into the lunch (followed by dinner) category. I did think of giving all the combinations, but I was mainly interested in the noontime meal designation, hence why the poll is as it is. But criticism taken on board and when next I devise a poll, I will be more logically scrupulous in the choices available...

[Prufrock]

Ah ok. I'm not sure you'll get many votes for 'neither' then. What the feck else can you call it?

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Ah ok. I'm not sure you'll get many votes for 'neither' then. What the feck else can you call it?

Well, a bloke at work calls it 'scran'.

[Prufrock]

I thought that meant food in general rather than a meal time.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

I thought that meant food in general rather than a meal time.

Until I heard him use it, I'd never heard of it, but yes, in general it just means food. Apparently it's of naval derivation, and his father was ex-Royal Navy and used it; and so my work colleague and his brothers grew up using it for the specific designation of the noontime meal which he still does.

[Bruce Rioja]

Well, a bloke at work calls it 'scran'.

That's just generic for 'food' though, isn't it? Like 'Jackbit' in Wigan.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Well, a bloke at work calls it 'scran'.

That's just generic for 'food' though, isn't it? Like 'Jackbit' in Wigan.

as I said to Pru up there ^ Yes, but.

Usage evolves, and he uses it exclusively (although undoubtedly wrongly) for dinner/lunchtime. His kids, and their kids after them will use it and before long there'll be a little colony of workers who ask each other what're you doing this scrantime? and they'll know exactly what they mean.

[Always hopeful]

Lunch followed by tea. - but that's not one of the options, so 'It is neither' gets my vote

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Oh dear. I've confused the issue. Regard the stuff in brackets as optional. Vote for lunch.

[Annoyed Grunt]

Dinner followed by tea....

[bobo the clown]

Dinner followed by tea....

Generally though not when eating out !! Odd that.

[TANGODANCER]

I think you'd have to consider change here. We're products of our parents. Very little is as it was. Dinner and tea were terms in an industrial era when meals were goverened by inflexible working hours. Nobody ever used "lunch", it was dinner time, yet we had "lunch boxes". End of day you went home for your tea. We ate them wearing boilersuits and overalls. Now you have power breakfasts wearing your power suits and drink Cafe Lattes before visiting a wine bar and then going for dinner.

You can't compare eras. One's here, one's gone. In time our kids and grandkids will probably have pills labelled, Morning, Afternoon and Evening with a few snack pills thown in and "cooking, siding the table, and washing the pots" will be forgotten arts.

[Annoyed Grunt]

Dinner followed by tea....

Generally though not when eating out !! Odd that.

I went out for tea to Chiquitos on Sunday

[Bruce Rioja]

We're products of our parents

You've been reading Darwin again, haven't you?