Meal?

Question

Hello,Could you tell me please if it is a mistake to use the word 'meal' to refer to any kind of occasion when people sit down to eat food?  For example;what time do children have  their tea?  Can I use meal?

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,

Could you tell me please if it is a mistake to use the word 'meal' to refer to any kind of occasion when people sit down to eat food?

For example;

what time do children have their tea? Can I use meal?

If you say 'meal', it needs to be in a context where people understand which one you are talking about, eg breakfast? dinner?

'Meal' also suggest something more substantial than, for example, a cup of tea and a cookie.

Clive

Anonymous · Answer

Thank you for the explanation.

Isky · Answer

We have two categories where I live in Idaho, meals and snacks.
Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and supper are meals. An apple and a glass of milk after school is a snack, or cookies and .. well, not many people drink tea here, so I'll say coffee.
Supper and dinner are different things here, but when I lives in Arizona, they meant the same thing! That confused me a lot.

Meal can also be the word for what you eat.
My mom used to say this to me all the time, when I wouldn't eat, "You have to eat the entire meal before you go play!"

If you were going to ask when children have their meal, that sounds a little strange to me, but I'm American, and it can be different everywhere. "What time do the kids have their snack?" is what I'd ask.

Anonymous · Answer

Thank you very  much.

Meal?

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