Mealtime

When do English or American people eat?  What seems like an irrelevant question is a matter of vital importance to survive in the Anglo-Saxon world.

An example: in Britain or America, lunch (almuerzo) takes place around noon (12:00). As lunch is earlier, so is dinner (cena), which takes place between 6:00 and 8:00 pm. Unlike Spain, in the UK and the USA, dinner is the most important meal of the day, so it is the biggest. Lunch is considered a kind of snack (tentempié) to keep working. A sandwich or a simple salad is enough to keep going until the end of the workday. Breakfast (desayuno) is also considered to be an important meal; it’s important to start the day with energy! Breakfast could be toast or cereal, with fruit and juice, coffee or tea.

Here’s a table summarizing the eating habits:

part of the day     meal                       time
morning                  breakfast                 7:00-8:00
midday                   lunch                        12:00-1:00
evening                  dinner / supper        6:00-8:00