Hungry for Tea ???

I have read it in many an English author's book. And the camp counselors from the UK at the summer camp I used to work at frequently confused the children in their charge by insisting they wash their hands for tea.

Here is my theory: You have many times read in a novel something like "When I was having tea with Oliver last week, he mentioned that his mother had cancer," and you assumed that the MC was in fact drinking tea with his friend, even though the author was really saying that the two of them were having dinner. Plausible?

Pretty much everyone I know uses the word "tea" for their evening meal, so I'd say it was pretty common, in these parts (outskirts of Derbyshire, UK) at least.

As for literature, I couldn't say.

talkwrite said:

I have been informed by my British and Scottish students that their term for the evening meal is Tea...I have read many British authors and never heard that evening meal referred to as tea. So I wanted to see if just missed it or if it is a common term and if it crosses borders in literature.

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Kitty Pryde said:

I have read it in many an English author's book. And the camp counselors from the UK at the summer camp I used to work at frequently confused the children in their charge by insisting they wash their hands for tea...I have read many British authors and never heard that evening meal referred to as tea. So I wanted to see if just missed it or if it is a common term and if it crosses borders in literature.

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Yet again I feel moved to point out first of all that Scots are British. There is no need for the 'and' as if Scots are a separate group. Scotland is part of Great Britain.

Regarding Kitty's post - the same applies but I'm assuming you were referring to English authors because those are the ones you'd read.

But back to the question in hand. Most people I know refer to the three meals of the day as breakfast, dinner and tea. Me? I call it breakfast, lunch and dinner - probably one of the many reasons folks round here call me a middle-class snob. Meh. So be it.

I emailed Adzmodeus the other day something like, "Well, I'm going offline now; time for dinner," and he replied, "But it's seven o'clock in the evening. Dinner was hours ago."

Bleedin' pleb, he is.

But I'm surprised the OP hasn't come across this term often as where I live, I'm the odd one out for calling the evening meal dinner, not tea.

scarletpeaches said:

I emailed Adzmodeus the other day something like, "Well, I'm going offline now; time for dinner," and he replied, "But it's seven o'clock in the evening. Dinner was hours ago."

Bleedin' pleb, he is.

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I love you too.

Cowbag.

Yah...I was trying to think of a Scottish or Irish author I had read...but I failed. I'm sure there is one though. Ah, Wikipedia has informed me that Charlie Stross and Iain M. Banks are Scots. But I don't recall them using 'tea' to mean dinner in their writing.

Silly. It's lighting up a fat one after the meal.

robeiae said:

Silly. It's lighting up a fat one after the meal.

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Quoted for truth.

Har. High tea means tea with a substantial cold meal (it's also called meat tea). It's like supper.

"High tea" is eaten around 4pm, and is, of course, drinking tea, with things like scones, cream cakes and nursery sandwiches.

Small triangles with the crusts cut off.

Ooh, love them. Pity you need about 12 to make a half decent snack.

scarletpeaches said:

Small triangles with the crusts cut off.

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That's what those are called?! Jesus, I've just been calling them triangley sandwiches all this time (I am not an imaginative child by any means).I bow to your classiness.

Just out of curiosity, does everyone agree on 'breakfast' and 'lunch'?

shawkins said:

Just out of curiosity, does everyone agree on 'breakfast' and 'lunch'?

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Nope. It depends on who you ask. In rural Ireland, there is a tendency to have breakfast, then dinner (at lunchtime. I know. I find it weird too). "Tea" for dinner seems to apply in these areas too.

shawkins said:

Just out of curiosity, does everyone agree on 'breakfast' and 'lunch'?

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I do and mine is the only opinion which matters.

Definitely breakfast and lunch but I R Southerner - it's different round here - my mate is a Northern Ginger Monkey (tm pisstake of my mate,) and he calls lunch dinner. But then he pronounces grass to rhyme with ass, so what does he know

But it could be either dinner or tea in the evening. They are interchangeable afaic. Although tea might be a lighter / simpler meal than dinner.

And I have a sudden craving for scones with clotted cream and jam...

Youtube-vid.

(I had to. )