LUNCH & DINNER TIME

LUNCH & DINNER TIME 

Welcome back to my blog. This week I will talk about something that represented a huge change for me. I will not talk about food yet, but just the big difference at which people in Italy and America eat.



In my hometown, we finished school (high school) at 1 p.m. from Monday to Saturday, therefore it was impossible for me to have lunch before that time. This means that most families ate around 1:30 p.m. or a little earlier. There are some exceptions because there are schools that a few days a week may finish a little later or sooner. After lunch, the next meal is usually a snack in the afternoon, in a window that may vary from 4 to 6 p.m. (the latest). Afterwards, there is dinner. In Italy the majority of families eat between 7:30 (which is extremely early) and 8:30 p.m., with 8 p.m. being the perfect time to eat. That way you have time to digest before going to bed, and you are less likely to feel hungry late at night. 

Here is the problem. I assume you already understood... 

When I came to the United States, I lived in the dorms my first two years of college, which means that I needed to eat according to the time availability of the cafeterias. As soon as I got to campus, I got to know the opening times of the cafeteria during the week, and I was amazed...5 P.M. DINNER?!?! Imagine that being time at which I usually have a substancial sandwich at home...Dinner was from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., but it closed at 7 or 6 during weekends, while my second school was never open at 8; it closed at 7 most days and even earlier on weekends. 

So, during my first year of school I used to eat as late as I possibly could. Unfortunately, sometimes there were less options, or some pf the meals were not as warm or fresh as they were at the beginning. But I just couldn’t go earlier...I tried, but when I did, I starved all night and couldn't wait for the cafeteria to open again in the morning. Indeed, I was usually one of the first 4 or 5 students there, ready to eat 3 or 4 pancakes and much more. 

Now that I leave off campus I can cook whenever I want. I have been eating a little too late at night lately...but you will never catch me at Geisert gourmet (as I call it), a restaurant, or some other place having dinner at 5 p.m.! 

 

Thank you very much for your time. 

See you next week! 

Comments

  1. Jacob HypkeFebruary 5, 2025 at 10:18 PM

    I think if more people ate dinner around 8pm they would be generally healthier, myself included. I usually eat dinner between 6-7pm. I then start snacking on multiple types of chips, Oreos, and yogurts by 10-11pm. A later dinner would hopefully eliminate my bad late-night snacking habits.

    ReplyDelete
  2. HRottierFebruary 6, 2025 at 6:23 AM

    It would be difficult to make this switch for you. For me personally, I don't like to eat after six in the evening, otherwise I don't sleep well. I guess it's all what you get used to.

    ReplyDelete

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