Dinner or supper?

[melscuba]

Haha... I find this thread charming. Having taken a linguistic class or too, you are asking about cultural linguistic customs. Here in the south, she served you dinner. My Nana always fixed us a mid-day dinner for holidays and Sundays. Lots of food, lots of laughter. I can still hear my Uncle Bill laughing at the end of the table. I now call my evening meal "dinner" and rarely use the term "supper". It sure makes me smile to hear "dinner" used in its "proper" southern form .

 

[seacrestgirl]

seacrestgirl, what do you do?

NP working in LTC.....greatest job in the world!!

 

[BeachbumAggie]

Small world Seacrestgirl, DD and I work with the elderly, too! I'm gonna be a tough old bird when I grow up, they're my favorites!!!!!!! My grandmother (aka, Deda) decided that after 60 she could say anything she wanted anytime she wanted; 60 doesn't seem so bad when you adopt that theory! Of course she also things everyone is out to rip old widow ladies off and that men are only after, and I quote "a nurse and a purse"-she might be right on that one!!!

 

[Teresa]

I have dinner and supper. They are both at night. And I call it whatever I feel like at the time.

 

[DD]

NP working in LTC.....greatest job in the world!!

Wait....did I already know that? Sorry if I did...my memory is shot. I too am elderly.

Small world Seacrestgirl, DD and I work with the elderly, too! I'm gonna be a tough old bird when I grow up, they're my favorites!!!!!!! My grandmother (aka, Deda) decided that after 60 she could say anything she wanted anytime she wanted; 60 doesn't seem so bad when you adopt that theory! Of course she also things everyone is out to rip old widow ladies off and that men are only after, and I quote "a nurse and a purse"-she might be right on that one!!!

Yep, I love the tough old birds. They're my heroes. I'd love your Deda!

 

[Em]

It all depends on where you are. In the deep south, you eat three meals: Breakfast, Dinner, Supper.
In the other parts of the south, the meals are Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

After being away at college for a while, I had planned a trip home (to the deep south). Mom asked if I would be there for dinner, and I said yes. I arrived around 5-6pm in time for what I was thinking was "dinner," but I forgot that dinner meant lunch. My mom was a bit upset because she had cooked a big lunch and I was a no-show.

 

[Lake View Too]

Maybe we should retire the term "supper", unless we're talking about a dude on a stand up paddle board...

 

[Em]

It isn't up to us to retire other people's terms.

 

[CastlesOfSand]

My grandparents used the term dinner for "lunch" and supper for "dinner". I like it when I here someone refer to it this way because it reminds me of them.

 

[mputnal]

I concur with CastlesofSand. My grandparents always called evening meals supper (always) and full course (and fried chicken is absolutely full course) mid day meals dinner (like Sunday dinner).

I often find that my "education" often conflicts with my grandparents wisdom. IMO grandparents wisdom trumps education most of the time...