The Great Dinner vs Supper Debate

[antda 13]

Hi Everyone,

Ok...Here is where I stand on the "supper" vs "dinner" debate....

For years in Canada in the city....I called the last meal of the day "dinner" and the meals before that "breakfast" and "lunch"

My American husband and extended family in the rural areas...called the last meal of the day "supper" and the meals before that "breakfast" and "dinner"...

Confused the heck out of me.....

Now here is another similar debate....

For years in Canada in the city....I called the tea kettle the "kettle"...

My American husband and extended family in the rural areas....called all the pots in the house the "kettle".....

Confused the heck out of me.....

Lol...Oh well.....

Whatever you call it.....It's still food and cooking with pots/kettles....

And a nice meal to be shared with others!

Ant

[Ontarkie 14,510]

The kids and I call it supper, my husband and all his family call it dinner. And it drives the kids and I nuts, it just sounds so wrong.

Danielle

Edited February 19, 2010 by Ontarkie

[warlord 73]

To add some geekiness to the thread, I believe both words were adopted into English from French after William the Conqueror took control of England in 1066. The English nobility was replaced with French nobility, and so the meals for the upper-class were associated with French, whereas the more Germanic English words were associated with lower-class. This is also reflected in things like animals vs. cuts of meat: when it's an animal and the lower-class, English people were responsible for it, the Old English words remained in use (cow, pig, sheep, etc.) but by the time it made it onto the table and ready to eat, the French influenced words were used (beef = boeuf, ham = jambon, mutton = mouton, etc.).

Anyway, dinner (from diner) meant to dine, and usually meant the late afternoon meal whereas supper (from souper) was usually a late-night meal after a performance that included soup. When those words were brought over to Quebec and Acadia though, diner turned into lunch, and souper turned into dinner, which is why my family associates dinner with lunch and supper with the evening meal. Phew.

This I guess is the best explaination of the history then. My friend has France background so maybe that's why she always says supper. And yeah we have one Supper Club restaurant here too. Now that I think about it I think my mother said dinner and my dad said supper.

So pretty much there is no rhyme or reason for what people call it, no geographical locations (like the huge soda vs pop vs coke map), it's just kind of whatever people feel like.

I definatly hear most people say lunch though for noon meal, but my one grandmother used to call it dinner so maybe this is how my dad got into calling evening meal supper. Again no reason for his family or my mothers family to call it different things, they both pretty much have their family history of immigration to Canada from the British Isles around the same time (yes both sides orgins are 1st generation Canadians from the time Canada became a country)...

[Rhiannercakes 14]

I use both, but dinner more than supper.

[Miranda&John 0]

Haha... my daughter and I just had this conversation the other day. She calls it supper, I call it dinner. I think my mom called it supper when I was growing up, so she's where my daughter must have got it from

Edited February 19, 2010 by Miranda&John

[Aklem 0]

Im from Quebec so im used to seeing the french words like dinner for lunch and supper for the last meal of the day, lol.

[Darnell 8,479]

I've lived all over. IMO - it depends on the vernacular use of 'where you are'.

So - figure out 'where you are', first - then ask yer neighbors and co-workers about 'acceptable use policy' for using a label to correctly identify the meal-time for the meal-time in question.

Good Luck !

[trailmix 77]

I've lived all over. IMO - it depends on the vernacular use of 'where you are'.

So - figure out 'where you are', first - then ask yer neighbors and co-workers about 'acceptable use policy' for using a label to correctly identify the meal-time for the meal-time in question.

Good Luck !

Ok, I know where I am, now I am going to question my neighbours <wanders off>

[Wyatt's Torch 45]

Heh...try going to New Zealand. If you're ever asked to stay for tea, don't expect to be served a cup of Pekoe or somesuch. You're going to get a full meal.

[Dan and Ali 3]

For me, "dinner" means "lunch", so I've always called "supper" supper, haha

Heh...try going to New Zealand. If you're ever asked to stay for tea, don't expect to be served a cup of Pekoe or somesuch. You're going to get a full meal.

I always loved that about Australia ... the first few times I was like "Oh, okay, tea" and then I'd get a whole meal!? Rock on!

[Darnell 8,479]

Ok, I know where I am, now I am going to question my neighbours <wanders off>

wot dey sei ?

---

who likes Tiffin and Elevenses?

[Kathryn41 3,205]

hehehe I have always used dinner as the 'main meal ' of the day whether it is at lunchtime or at 'dinnertime', and Supper is the last meal of the day. So, there are times when Dinner and Supper are the same meal but other times when Dinner is earlier and Supper is later. I do often use the words interchangeably though, since more often than not dinner and supper are the same meal.

[sara535 15]

I grew up in the South, and in our house dinner was always the evening meal EXCEPT for Sunday Dinner which took place early afternoon on Sundays after church.

good conversation!

[Downtoride 0]

Me being the US citizen anything after lunch which is at around 12, is dinner and I grew up normally getting two meals so lunch and dinner. My wife is the canadian and pretty much anything after the sun goes down is supper. Now the child expects 3 meals a day which to her is breakfast lunch and dinner/supper. so if she misses a meal then the first meal in her mind is breakfast and starts from there. It has taken alot of time to explain to her how times break down pretty much. but what ever works works. for me its breakfast, lunch, dinner. For the longest I thought Supper always sounded to much like Desert or a late night snack after you were done eating dinner. But either way you give me a time to eat i will be there no matter if its dinner or supper.

[Allie 5]

Back on Cape Breton Island dinner is at noon and supper is in the evening 5 or 6.

I still call the evening meal supper