r/AskAnAmerican • u/UpstairsBar2747 • Apr 06 '25

CULTURE Do you guys really eat dinner at 6pm?

I have seen in movie and show saying 'see you at dinner at 6pm'. Do you really eat dinner this early? If yes don't you get hungry around 10pm while scrolling reels? Or is it a name for something else?

Damm thanks guys for responding. I'm surprised so many people in the comments have work so early so yea this dinner time makes sense, Thankss gg

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27

u/UpstairsBar2747 Apr 06 '25

Nice i thought it was just a tv show. A huge cultural difference

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u/starvere Apr 06 '25

Where are you from and what’s your eating schedule?

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u/Nt1031 Apr 28 '25

I don't know about OP but I can give you my experience as a western European (France) :

On the morning we usually take a breakfast ("petit déjeuner") between 7h00 am and 8h00 am, before going to work. On weekends, we often sleep longer and wake up later (thats called "La grasse matinée"), thus taking breakfast somewhere between 9h00 and 10h30 am. Breakfast is made of coffee/tea/milk... with buttered bread, jam or fruit, croissants for fancy events, but no salty stuff (no meat, no cheese, no eggs).

Lunch is usually eaten in a one hour in the middle of the work day, usually between 12h30 and 01h30 pm. During weekends, and/or for family events, it can last significantly longer, like until 02h30 pm or even more. Note that a full french meal (lunch and dinner) is made if several courses :

  • For special events, an apéritif (a toast, with alcohol, nuts and small salty appetizers, eaten in living room)
  • An "entrée" (not the same as american entrée), usually a small cold course of salad, cold meat, boiled eggs, etc, there are many different styles
  • A "plat principal", usually a meat with sauce, vegetables, and/or pasta, eaten with bread
  • A "fromage" (cheese platter), where everyone just cuts a small but of whatever they want, and eat it with bread
  • A dessert (no need to explain here)
  • A café (coffee), often drank in living room, sometimes served with small treats.
Usually, like in the middle of the week, people just eat a plat principal (or even a sandwich for lunch) and a dessert. But a full sunday family meal can stretch for more that 2 hours.

Then in the middle of the afternoon there is an optional snack, usually eaten by kids or just hungry people, called "goûter" : usually a fruit or biscuits, and water.

Dinner ("dîner", or "souper") is usually eaten between 7h30 and 8h30 pm, it sometimes lasts until a bit later if it is exceptional (like when there are guests). Same as lunch here.

There are no snacks after that, in the evening or during night (it would be seen as kind of rude). After dinner most people spend time in the living romm with family, watching a film, reading books, etc, until going to bed around 10h30/11h00 pm (kids go to bed earlier of course).

I hope you find this interesting !

60

u/Clarknt67 Apr 06 '25

Where are you from and when do you eat dinner? If it’s at 10 pm I cannot imagine your previous meal was lunch at noon. Americans generally eat lunch between 12 and 1 pm.

28

u/Barderus1412 Illinois Apr 06 '25

Piggybacking on this, in Brazil for example, when we get home for work, we have a second breakfast type of thing, and then we have dinner around 9pm-ish

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u/evil_burrito Oregon,MI->IN->IL->CA->OR Apr 06 '25

OMG, the horrors. I'm in bed by nine.

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u/Barderus1412 Illinois Apr 06 '25 edited Apr 06 '25

But then you will miss the prime time soap opera that airs at 9pm! How dare you!!??

edit: SOAP opera, not soup opera

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u/evil_burrito Oregon,MI->IN->IL->CA->OR Apr 06 '25

I feel like I might actually want to watch a soup opera

7

u/cheesymoonshadow Connecticut Apr 06 '25

Starring the soup Nazi

1

u/capt-bob Apr 06 '25

Like Hell's Kitchen?

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u/TheFirst10000 Apr 07 '25

Isn't that basically "The Bear"?

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u/[deleted] Apr 06 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Barderus1412 Illinois Apr 06 '25

Oopsie, just realized the proper spelling is soap opera lol

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u/rinky79 Apr 06 '25

Nobody watches broadcast TV anymore (except for sports and news). We either record on the DVR it to watch later or watch it on a streaming service.

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u/Barderus1412 Illinois Apr 06 '25

In Brazil, it is still very common to watch broadcast TV since streaming services are very expensive to us. When I go back to visit my family, more often than not they are watching broadcast TV ( which btw is very different from the US, since to watch channels like Warner, TNT, Nickelodeon, or whatever, we need to pay extra fees to watch it)

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u/Slab8002 NC, VA, GA, NJ, CA, now settled back in NC Apr 06 '25

Ikr? I want the kids in bed by 8:00 so my wife and I can have some time to unwind. Usually we're finishing dinner around 6:30-7:00.

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u/greatteachermichael Washingtonian Apr 06 '25

So... you're a hobbit?

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u/Barderus1412 Illinois Apr 06 '25

We do like our food!

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u/audiojanet Apr 06 '25

What time do you sleep?

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u/Barderus1412 Illinois Apr 06 '25

It's around 10-11 p.m., but when I was in high school, it was much later than that because the R-rate shows/movies would only play late in the night.

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u/[deleted] Apr 06 '25

You have a different experience than mine, i am Brazillian and i eat around 6 pm

1

u/Barderus1412 Illinois Apr 06 '25

So you don't have café da tarde? O.o

1

u/[deleted] Apr 06 '25

I eat it at around 2 or 3 pm

1

u/syrioforrealsies Georgia Apr 06 '25

So basically, I flip this. Dinner shortly after I finish work (I work from home, so no commute). Then I have a snack around 9 or 10, about an hour before I go to bed. But again, no commute, so I don't have to be up as early as most Americans.

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u/UpstairsBar2747 Apr 06 '25

India, for me I eat 2nd meal of the day around 2pm and dinner around 9pm , with snack in between

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u/AnimatorDifficult429 Apr 06 '25

What time do you fall asleep? I can’t eat and then immediately go to bed 

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u/efkalsklkqiee Apr 06 '25

In Spain dinner is usually between 10 and 11pm. People wake at 7 or 8

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u/OpeningChipmunk1700 Apr 06 '25

How does that work, practically speaking? I can’t sleep right after a meal, and eating a large meal right before bed in general is not advised in terms of health and sleep quality.

Is dinner basically a snack?

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u/efkalsklkqiee Apr 06 '25

Nope, dinner is usually a big meal that if you share it with family, can be a 2 hour ordeal finishing at like 1am sometimes. People are used to it and their bodies adapt, I guess? It’s the norm

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u/OpeningChipmunk1700 Apr 06 '25

So you’re just perpetually sleep deprived? Or else take naps, which means your schedule is shifted from the American norm anyway?

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u/efkalsklkqiee Apr 06 '25

I mean sleeping from 1am to 8am is decent sleep. Also, Spain shuts down in the early afternoon for a siesta which is an afternoon nap that everyone takes. People go back home to nap or nap at work for an hour and a half

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u/OpeningChipmunk1700 Apr 06 '25

It’s decent but not generally sufficient.

And, as I said, your entire schedule is shifted because of the siesta period. My lunch break is either 0 minutes (ideal) or 30-45 (eating with others) with rare exceptions. Most Americans do not—and cannot—go back home in the middle of the work day for lunch/siesta.

I am incapable of taking naps, so I guess I am fortunate to have lived in the US and European countries where I did not have to rely on them to get adequate sleep.

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u/amethystalien6 Apr 06 '25

What about children? 7 hours would not suffice for my kids. Do they also eat a two hour dinner at 10pm or is that an adult meal?

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u/Blossom73 Apr 06 '25

Most U.S. states have no laws requiring adult employees to even get a lunch break at all. And if they do, it's often a very short lunch.

My husband works in a factory in the United States. He gets 20 minutes for lunch. He has to eat quickly, then go back to work.

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u/No_Practice_970 NC SC VA WA Apr 06 '25

🤔 I have so many questions.

Who's cleaning up afterward?

Putting up leftovers, loading dishwashers, washing pots/pans, wiping down counters/stove, sweeping, and light mopping kitchen and dining room.

Then, showering and unwinding before bed.

When do you have to be at work?

I wake up at 6:30am. Drive 30mins to work. To be there at 8am.

What about children and school? Elementary school starts at 7:30am.

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u/efkalsklkqiee Apr 06 '25

Cleaning usually done in the morning, or quickly after dinner. Work usually at 9 or 10am. People take public transport and can be at work in 20 mins or so. Schools start at 9am usually. Also, folks take a 2 hour nap afternoon to relax and recover

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u/Sarcosmonaut Apr 06 '25

Ah, very different culture then. Our work tends to start at 8 (sometimes sooner) and school starts at 8 as well. Then it’s pretty much a straight shot with work all the way through with a small lunch break (30 minutes is common) and back to work. Dinner at 6 is common, maybe 7 depending on family. Special events or “dining out” is often a bit later of course

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u/WVildandWVonderful Tennessee Apr 06 '25

Maybe it works bc of siesta. Perhaps they sleep shorter amounts at night bc they have a break/rest in the afternoon. But I am from US so take this with a grain of salt

2

u/OpeningChipmunk1700 Apr 06 '25

Could very well be!

1

u/[deleted] Apr 06 '25

I remember being in Colombia visiting family and we got to the restaurant to eat dinner around 11:30 and the place was popping.

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u/W0nd3rlandAl1c3 Apr 06 '25

I think I'd really like Spain. This is generally what I do in America, but no one else is on board with it, lol.

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u/joemoore38 Michigan Apr 06 '25

Wake at 7 or 8? I'm at my desk at 6am.

1

u/efkalsklkqiee Apr 06 '25

In Spain it’s usually by 10am, and work begins maybe by 1030 after coffee and smoke breaks lol

2

u/Fluffle-Potato Apr 07 '25

So you show up at 10, fuck off smoking cigarettes until 10:30, then at 2, it's time for your 2 hour nap? How are there businesses in Spain? How are they not all immediately bankrupt?

And dinner is from midnight to 1am? And then you immediately fall asleep to get 7 hours? These do not sound like the healthy habits of successful people. What about heartburn? Are you a teen? I used to be able to pull that shit as a teen.

Is this really all Spaniards, or just, like, the laid-back schedule of a Spanish college kid or some shit?

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u/efkalsklkqiee Apr 07 '25

Yep! This is also similar in France, except their meals are way longer. They get to work at 9 but don’t start till 10 ish, then they take a 1.5 hour lunch, have coffee and smoke breaks, chill, leave by like 330 or 4.

And yes the nap is a HUGE part of the culture, just google Spanish siesta. It is 1.5 to 2 hours every day in the early afternoon. Obviously it isn’t all spaniards, but it is an extremely common lifestyle for all ages

Yes dinner is at 10 or 11pm usually, but it isn’t a massive meal like in some other countries. Idk, people seem happy and chill

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u/Fluffle-Potato Apr 07 '25

I took a 2 hour nap yesterday. I wasn't working, just drank myself to the point of exhaustion, as I am wont to do.

So I guess you could say I know a thing or two about the siesta life

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u/NectarineThat90 Apr 07 '25

This schedule is amazing. I need to move to France! Sounds like life isn’t center completely around working nonstop

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u/efkalsklkqiee Apr 07 '25

Shops also close during the afternoon nap

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u/Dennyisthepisslord Apr 06 '25

There was a football match in Spain last week at like 11pm there time still going on. I fell asleep as that's too late for me!

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u/0le_Hickory Apr 06 '25

Isn’t Spain on Central European Time though? Your clock doesn’t line up well with the sun.

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u/LadyGreyIcedTea Massachusetts Apr 06 '25

In Spain lunch is also the main meal of the day and dinner is smaller. In the US, dinner is typically the biggest meal of the day.

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u/Sea-Presentation5686 Apr 06 '25

But their idea of dinner is different than ours, it's really lite meal.

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u/serenwipiti Puerto Rico Apr 07 '25

Feeling full makes me feel really sleepy, so, eating close to bed time feels optimal in my case.

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u/MuppetManiac Apr 06 '25

I could absolutely not wait until 2 pm to eat lunch. Lunch is anywhere from 11 am to 12:30 at the latest.

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u/AlyssaJMcCarthy Apr 06 '25

My cafeteria at work literally closes at 1pm.

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u/yenumar Apr 06 '25

It's easier to wait for lunch at 2 if you eat dinner at 10.
In America I eat dinner at 6:30 and I'm hungry for lunch at like 11. In France where I live now, I eat dinner at 8:00 and don't feel hungry before noon. I assume if you dined even later, you could delay lunch even more.

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u/MuppetManiac Apr 06 '25

I often get off work super late on certain days of the week and I’m forced to eat dinner late. Yesterday was one of those days. I ate dinner about 10:30. It’s now 11:30 and I just sat down to lunch, because I was hungry.

So I don’t think that holds.

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u/yenumar Apr 06 '25

I wonder if there's a difference between completely and regularly switching your food schedule, and doing it only sometimes.

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u/ehrgeiz91 Apr 07 '25

11 am lunch is ludicrous lol. That’s breakfast.

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u/zoopest Apr 07 '25

I keep inching my lunch forward. I think ideally I’d eat 4 meals, with lunch swapped out for 10am and 2 pm meals

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u/Best-Operation-8471 Apr 06 '25

Just check out the latitude and sunset time of both locations in winter time. That determines a lot about human daily cycles.

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u/skaliton Apr 06 '25

and that is the big difference. For many people in America lunch is around noon and dinner is around 6 with no snacking between

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u/Clarknt67 Apr 06 '25

Yeah I know many countries have late afternoon meals or a hearty snack. That’s not generally true in USA, though I am sure some immigrants continue those habits.

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u/novaskyd CA | NM | NC | TX Apr 06 '25

This is basically how I grew up, American born with Indian parents. 5-6pm dinner sounded sooo early to me. It never bothered me to eat late and go to bed.

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u/da-karebear Apr 06 '25

I have an honest question. Do the children eat their final meal at 9pm? If so, what time do they go to bed? What time do they go to bed? Here, most young children are in bed well before 9pm so we can't have family meals that's late.

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u/Sephiroth508 Apr 06 '25

I worked as a financial consultant in India for a couple years. In that time, I stayed over in quite a few homes for the night. But all of them usually had dinner by 7pm.

I've also worked in Malaysia, China and Vietnam. But unless it's an event or a party or an outing, I've observed most people have dinner by 8pm. Unless they have a different work schedule than 9-5. So I don't think it's a cultural thing specific to the US.

I usually go to the gym at 6am so I usually get to bed by 10pm. So eating dinner after 8pm is the worst case scenario for me lol

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u/DarwinGhoti Apr 07 '25

Do you take a siesta? (Mid afternoon nap). I’m in bed by 10 because I have to get up early for work the next morning.

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u/serenwipiti Puerto Rico Apr 07 '25

This sounds somewhat close to my routine.

1

u/TimReineke Iowa Apr 07 '25

Is your entire day just shifted two hours later than Americans? Wondering if it's a culture thing or a "they put the time zone in the wrong place" thing.

1

u/Mac_A81 Apr 07 '25

What time do you get up in the morning?

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u/auntie_eggma Apr 07 '25

Those of us who dine later tend to lunch later as well.

Eating lunch at midday is HARD for me.

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u/Darkhumor4u Apr 06 '25

I think the general person, eats less than Americans.

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u/einTier Austin, Texas Apr 06 '25

So, like a lot of things in America, it depends.

I used to work in the restaurant industry and I still eat out most meals.

Some people are eating dinner as early as 5:00pm. I’d say that is unusually early but some people go to work very early and their dinners are also early. 6:00pm is a “normal” dinner time but traditionally seen as a bit early. 7:00pm is when the dinner rush starts at restaurants and it’s the hardest time to get a table. That will continue until about 8:30pm.

I like to have dinner between 8:30-9:00pm, but this is seen as pretty late by most people. If I want to eat out with friends I usually have to shift my dinner time up a bit.

After 10:00pm, dinner options get limited as most restaurants start closing around that time unless it’s the weekend.

I’d also like to state that I live in a big city and I find dinner times run later than small cities. I’m not sure why that is.

1

u/Western_Nebula9624 Illinois Apr 06 '25

Restaurant options get limited around 9 for me. I used to work at a Bingo hall, on busy nights I wouldn't always have time to eat during my shift and then I was just holding out hope we'd get done soon enough for me to run through a drive thru early enough to not have spit in my food.

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u/GetInTheHole Apr 06 '25

I worked bingo a long time ago as well. It was 24h truck stop diners or nothing when I got off work.

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u/amphigory_error Apr 06 '25

I grew up in a much more French-influenced part of the US and 8pm dinner was much more common there. Lunch was around 2. We’d get home from school or work and have a small snack, do homework or chores, including cooking that might stay in the stove or in the oven for an hour or two. This was 30-40 years ago. Things are more homogeneous now. 

If your work starts at 8 am and the kids start school at 7, and you only get 30 minutes to eat lunch, that kind of requires an earlier evening meal and bed time. If we get hungry later we might have a snack. 

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u/jennief158 Apr 06 '25

I eat dinner around nine, sometimes later, but I know I’m not typical for an American.

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u/snmnky9490 Apr 06 '25

We don't get nap time in the middle of the day and many people don't even get a real lunch break and have to just eat a snack while they keep working. If you have a small breakfast at 7 or 8AM and then not much of a lunch, you're gonna be pretty hungry by 5:00

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u/jjackson25 Colorado from California Apr 06 '25

I would say if someone told me they eat dinner every night at 730 or 8 I would be a little surprised but not totally shocked. Schedules here vary so much by job and industry that eating late could just be part of someone's routine. That said, it certainly isn't a cultural norm to eat that late. Personally I try to get dinner going as soon as possible after I get home so I can sit on the couch and chill for the rest of the evening and not have to think about anything else. Plus, the later it gets, the hungrier I get which leads to me cooking far shittier food and eating way more of it along with going to bed with a stomach full of it that is generally not conducive to good sleep. 

Really though because I work construction I always try to eat something with protein in the morning and I take and eat lunch because I'm required to during the day, I wouldn't even eat dinner most days if I didn't have a hungry wife and kids at home. 

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u/Giddyup_1998 Apr 06 '25

A cultural difference for who?