Is 'Dinner' Lunch or Supper?? / myLot

United States

July 22, 2007 2:04am CST

My father and I had this on going debate about 'Dinner'. I think of it as the evening meal, another word for supper; but my father says it refers to the afternoon meal. I think it goes breakfast, lunch, and dinner. When I ask him what he's cooking for dinner, he'll reply that he had dinner hours ago, it's time for supper. I just can't think of dinner being lunch! He says it's a South thing, but I was raised in his house!! How can our views be so different?? What do you think? Do you have dinner after lunch, or before supper??

2 people like this

7 responses

megs85

@megs85 (3142)

• Australia

22 Jul 07

Here in Australia, Dinner refers to the evening main meal. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Tea is something you drink (although some people do call dinner 'tea') and supper is like a late evening snack. I often am amazed at the differences in word meanings between countries. Between here, the us and the uk we all speak english but it is such a very different english in each respective country because of all the little idiosynchrosies. :)

2 people like this

@ChaJudLeoBit (1656)

• United States

22 Jul 07

I'm amazed at the difference in word meanings in the same house!! Thanks for your response. So you have Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, then supper?

megs85

@megs85 (3142)

• Australia

22 Jul 07

Yeah basically lol... If we get down to the nitty gritty it would be something like: Breakfast (meal) Morning Tea (morning snack) Lunch (meal) Afternoon Tea (afternoon snack) Dinner (meal) often with dessert (sweet after dinner meal like ice cream- especially if you live in my household lol) Supper (late evening snack) I think that covers everything lol How bout you?

2 people like this

ChaJudLeoBit

@ChaJudLeoBit (1656)

• United States

26 Jul 07

Just breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I've heard that more meals is better, but our culture is 3 per day.

Gemmygirl1

@Gemmygirl1 (2867)

• Australia

22 Jul 07

It's funny because i'm in Australia too & when i was young we used to have Breakfast Dinner Tea Now we usually call it Breakfast Lunch Dinner It could also be where the family is from (originally) as to what they call it! Although, i do agree with what the other Aussie person said, above me, supper to me is still the snack kind of thing that you have once Dinner/Tea & Dessert have been & gone! It's funny how each country has different words for the same things & even us 2 Aussies that have replied to this discussions have slightly different words for things - maybe it could be living in different states too. ^_^

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@megs85 (3142)

• Australia

23 Jul 07

True that... I'm a Melbournian, and you? Also, I find that different generations have different words for things (but it looks like we are both around the same age so there goes that theory lol)

1 person likes this

ChaJudLeoBit

@ChaJudLeoBit (1656)

• United States

26 Jul 07

So I can tell my Dad that he needs to go to Australia if he wants dinner to be the noon-time meal. Sounds goo to me!!

claudia413

@claudia413 (4280)

• United States

27 Jul 07

I was raised in South Florida, and we always used to say "breakfast, lunch and supper". After I grew up, I heard "breakfast, lunch and dinner" or "breakfast, dinner and supper". Someone once explained to me that "dinner" is considered the biggest meal of the day, so I've used "dinner and supper" interchangeably since then...because our big meal is in the evening. I've been told that it would be better to eat your largest meal in the middle of the day, but that is kind of hard to do when you're both working, so our big meal is in the evening after work. I can't really think of dinner as being lunch either...LOL.

1 person likes this

ChaJudLeoBit

@ChaJudLeoBit (1656)

• United States

3 Aug 07

I'm going to mark you down as being on my side of this debate, OK?

estherlou

@estherlou (5015)

• United States

22 Jul 07

It's breakfast, lunch and supper. I've always heard that dinner is interchanged with lunch. I was trying to remember what we called it when I was a child...too long ago...can't remember.

1 person likes this

ChaJudLeoBit

@ChaJudLeoBit (1656)

• United States

26 Jul 07

That doesn't count, you're married to the guy! (hee hee) Wanna go to Australia with him?? Heck, I'll call Lunch 'Dinner' if I could go to Australia!!

myfanwy65

@myfanwy65 (1030)

• United States

26 Jul 07

Someone once told me that dinner refers to the largest meal of the day. Doesn't matter if it's breakfast, lunch, or supper. Whichever meal is the biggest is what is referred to as dinner. But, most people don't use it that way. I live in the south and most people call lunch dinner. I was raised in the north, so I don't do that.

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ChaJudLeoBit

@ChaJudLeoBit (1656)

• United States

3 Aug 07

Uhoh... looks like Dad has some support now. He has said it's a Southern thing... Interesting about Dinner being the largest meal. I'll hit him with that and see what he thinks. Thanks for your input!