Supper or dinner?

[Will Posey]

This discussion reminds me of an incident near here a few years back.

A local popular restaurant had been closed after the owner's death. A couple of years later, a couple from "up North" bought the property and set about refurbishing it and reopening. Former patrons were excited because there was no comparable restaurant in the area. As opening day approached, the inquiries increased and the word spread that the new owners were saying they would open for "dinner" on Saturday.

About 11 am that day, the new owners were getting things ready, hoping they'd have all ready by 4 pm so they could serve the dinner crowd.

I'm sure you've already guessed what happened.

Cars started pulling in and here came the customers. The new owners tried to tell them they weren't ready..they hadn't started cooking for dinner yet.

Then ensued a lively discussion of just when "dinner" was. The new owners learned they hadn't done sufficient research, because in that community, most residents referred to the mid-day meal as "dinner". The reason, of course, was that in this farming community, the main meal of the day was, and is, the noon meal.

Will

 

[Karen Lips]

Where I come from, it has always been called sack lunches. you know the brown paper bag ones?

Yankees have lunch boxes, southerners have dinner pails

 

[ole]

The reason, of course, was that in this farming community, the main meal of the day was, and is, the noon meal.

It might be universal in farming communities, Will. Sunday dinner was always near noon .... after church. During the work days, lunch/dinner were interchangeable, but the evening meal was most always supper. Maybe a regional thing?

 

[diane]

My paternal ancestors came from South Carolina via Virginia via Tennessee via Kentucky, and my maternal ancestors were river Indians from Oregon and California. It was a bit weird - if you invited Dad for dinner, he'd show up at noon! If you invited Mom, she'd show up 6-ish. I think it is a regional thing. Dad's grandma, who lived out here, came from Virginia and was always proper. She wore a reddin coat to shop in, gloves, carried a basket, wore a hat with real hat pins (a deadly weapon!) and every hair was in place. She may have been only a farmer's wife, but you sure thought she was the Queen of England when she went downtown! Dinner was promptly at 12 noon, not 11:59 or 12:01. Mom's side was Indian time - you ate when you were hungry and it was whatever was simmering on the stove when you came in!

 

[K Hale]

Mom's side was Indian time - you ate when you were hungry and it was whatever was simmering on the stove when you came in!

Now that is a schedule I could get behind!

 

[Ellsworth avenger]

Whatever happened to the paper sack? You city boys are too formal.

That was me, with two cents for a pint of milk. I think it went from one cent between 2nd and 3rd grade.

 

[wayne jackson]

we could not afford paper sacks,we used a syrup bucket to carry our lunch in

 

[carson_reb]

Dinner, mostly...although I've caught myself using the term "supper" on occasion to refer to the evening meal. Either it's my reenactor persona permeating my daily routine, or I've done too much historical reading...or probably both. LOL

Lunch has always been the mid-day meal to me. Never thought of calling it "dinner," although I know that it can be.

 

[Blockaderunner]

Mid-day was always called dinner when I was growing up. Evening meal is tea or tea-time, but tea isn't always involved in the meal.

 

[samp]

Growing up in the South, midday is dinner and evening meal is supper. When I slip up and call evening meal dinner it confuses my 91 year young Mother.

Cordially,
samp
Georgia

 

[ole]

In farm country, dinner was when everyone ate somewhere around noon. They'd been working for at least 5 hours, and had six left before it was time to milk.

 

[Jon G.]

When I was growing up it was breakfast, dinner then supper. Most days, dinner at home was only a sandwich and chips and Sundays it was usually a full blown dinner and light snack at supper.

On Sundays think pan fried chicken, swiss steak, pork chops, pork roast, beef and noodles, chicken and noodles and all with the appropriate mashed potatoes and gravy. Are we getting hungry yet? MM MM MM

These weren't all on the same Sunday at home of course, but all were available at the occasional pitchin at church!MM MM MM I've never been to a buffet that measured up to those church pitchins.

At school they called mid day meal lunch.....except they always served up a very bountiful and complete meal that would make any evening main meal proud. I lived in a small town called Farmland and lots of the boys would have been milking and doing chores before school so they always had a big appitite. With farm wives doing the cooking in the cafeteria, it was as good as it was bountiful.

Now, for me it's breakfast then snack or lunch or dinner then dinner, supper or lunch. Ya know, it just shouldn't be so complicated!

I just love a big breakfast for dinner at supper time.:hmmm:

 

[ole]

So it would appear to be about where you were from. Of you grew up on a farm or a ranch, dinner was about noon. Supper was when the chores were done.

We have diferences in what was what. I have no idea what yall did i virginia. I grew up in the plaines and what The Mom put on the table was exactly what was done.

Usually, she'd tell me to select a useless chicken and chop it's head off. Then my sisters would pluck it and mom would do some magic and make that old chicken something edibile. There was a way, while we're still figuring out how to fry a chicken. We've lost something in there.

 

[Old Hickory]

I don't think I ever heard the word,"dinner" until sometime in the 60s when we got a t.v.

 

[Blessmag]

Now, for me it's breakfast then snack or lunch or dinner then dinner, supper or lunch. Ya know, it just shouldn't be so complicated!
:

Sounds like you really are saying, don't make no difference, just don't call me late!

 

[swampfox320]

Depends, supper, to me, is for between 2 and 6 in the afternoon. Dinner is anything after 6.

SwampFox

 

[ole]

In Norway and traditionally Norwegian communities, there are five meals daily. The other two are what we call coffee breaks.

 

[OneWayRawk]

I would have to go with supper---
I have heard "Dinner" more in the past several years but growing up Mama always called it "Supper"

 

[CharacterGroove]

I don't think this is as regional as it is urban and rural/small town. The latter tending to use 'supper.' But I could be wrong.

 

[kholland]

Definitely dinner.