afternoon tea: is it still done?

[English Bloke]

In the North, "Tea time" is dinner time everywhere else. Families sit down for "tea" which is not tea at all but a proper hot meal for everybody in the evening. It's either eaten on laps in front of the tele (god forbid, but it is... ) or eaten as a family sitting at the table where discussion covers everybody's antics during the day. It is served anytime between 5 o'clock and 7 o'clock, although 7 o'clock is pushing it away from "tea" and towards "dinner", if you know what I mean. Allegedly posh folks eat later than working folks.

Incidentally, also in the North, "dinner" is lunch, ie the mid-day meal. Confused yet?

[piperdbh]

Incidentally, also in the North, "dinner" is lunch, ie the mid-day meal. Confused yet?

Coincidentally, in the southern Appalachians, some folks refer to the midday meal as "dinner" and the evening meal as "supper", while just a few miles away other folks eat "lunch" at noon and have "dinner" after work in the evening. So, if somebody invites you over for "dinner", you might ought to find out what time they expect you.

Thanks for the replies so far.

[BoldHighlander]

Coincidentally, in the southern Appalachians, some folks refer to the midday meal as "dinner" and the evening meal as "supper", while just a few miles away other folks eat "lunch" at noon and have "dinner" after work in the evening. So, if somebody invites you over for "dinner", you might ought to find out what time they expect you.

Having been raised by transplanted Missourian's (SW Ozarks), I tend to amuse folks around here when I refer to dinner as "supper" (I guess I'm viewed as quaint ).
We did/do still use the term "lunch" for the noon day meal however

We don't necessarily do "tea" around here, but there is a "formal"/traditional tea shop here in Old Fairhaven that I have been planning to visit in the near future.

[Galician]

Coincidentally, in the southern Appalachians, some folks refer to the midday meal as "dinner" and the evening meal as "supper", while just a few miles away other folks eat "lunch" at noon and have "dinner" after work in the evening. So, if somebody invites you over for "dinner", you might ought to find out what time they expect you.

I was taught that dinner is the main meal of the day. That's why we in the U.S.A. have it in the evening, while in the Old World it is traditionally eaten at midday. This accounts for various things like the custom of the siesta and the Last Supper.

[highland mafia]

I was raised by Northern Irish parents. All be it in Canada. We always called "dinner" Tea. I remember as a kid my friends thought that was pretty funny stuff. Then again when I first started school all the kids at school used to make me say "How now brown cow". All to great amusement!.

But now a days I have followed suit and call it dinner.. My wife and I do try to have a cuppa around 3 or 4 on weekends..She is English and only moved when we were married.

[Downunder Kilt]

At all work places we have a break around 10.00 for morning tea and another around 2.30 for afternoon tea. Depending what industry you are in it maybe be called morning or afternoon smoko. Our midday meal is lunch and evening meal is dinner to a majority of people but some people still refer to it as teatime. As for Devonshire or High teas, a lot of areas that thrive on tourism serve the scones and flavoured tea at any time of the day. In Melbourne CBD there are several establishments that do the complete High tea thing which is a very elaborate and formal presentation of various teas, pastries, sandwiches etc.

[MacBean]

As said before, tea (in London as well as the south coast, not just tthe north of England) was the evening meal. If a later meal was planned and friends were over, then it might be tea and cakes, but I wouldn't say that this kind of tea time was the rule. In boarding schools, evening tea was what we call dinner, and tea was served at breakfast and dinner. In fact, I had to get special permission (and pay extra) to get milk with meals, but that was soon after millk rations ended.

Schools at least also had a break at 11:00 am called "elevenses" which might have included a drink and a boiled sweet (candy).

Tea shops were perhaps more common then than now, and served crumpets, scones, and things I no longer remember. Bovril, Marmite, lemon curd?

[fluter]

Coincidentally, in the southern Appalachians, some folks refer to the midday meal as "dinner" and the evening meal as "supper",

And in the coastal plain---at least if your mum was farm-bred.

[Mike_Oettle]

When it comes to tea at the office, I have worked for 31 years in the same building for a company that has gone through several changes of name.
When I joined the company it had a staff canteen on the third floor which provided meals at a very reasonable price, lunch and supper (and possibly breakfast). I rarely bought a meal there, preferring to take sandwiches to work, but I did make use of the tuckshop in the canteen.
The canteen was also responsible for sending a tea trolley around. It would visit all four floors of the building at morning tea time and afternoon tea time.
It provided a choice of tea or coffee, both brewed in a huge urn.
But after a couple of decades it was decided that the canteen was too expensive to keep operating. It lingered on for a while on short staff, but was eventually closed down completely.
A tuckshop now operates in the daytime, but the night staff must fend for themselves. However each floor also has a kitchen fitted with a steel sink, a fridge, a Coke machine, a water dispenser and a hot water machine.
The hot water device is what I mostly use these days. Tea (Ceylon in bags), instant coffee and rooibos tea are provided.
While rooibos tea is something I drink at home, when I have the opportunity to stew it in a pot, for instant tea-making I prefer Ceylon. And when there is no tea, I reluctantly drink coffee. But most of the staff prefer coffee anyway.
Regards,
Mike

[beloitpiper]

Incidentally, also in the North, "dinner" is lunch, ie the mid-day meal. Confused yet?

Nope, my family here in Wisconsin has always called lunch "dinner" and the last meal "supper". Why else would they call them Supper Clubs?