Dinner in America usually arrives by 6 in the evening on the table. However, there are so many cultures around the world where meal times differ by hours to late night. In the culture of Spain, you’ll find empty restaurants if you go before 9 or 10 pm. Meal times reflect years of history and culture and this is something that will be highlighted here today.
Eating on Different Clocks
Consider the different ways people eat, some eight big lunches, some eat small and some barely eat. This helps shape the dinner time by a great degree. The daily rhythms in people’s lives is what marks the best time for dinner to them, not a specified decree.
Spain’s Famously Late Dinners
In Spain for example, people eat their lunch at 2 in the noon, extending till 4 often. Then eating dinner at 6 or 7 in the evening wouldn’t mean much to the stomach since they ate just a couple of hours before. Weekends may include family and friends with dinner till midnight.
Time Zone Twists
There’s another reason for late dinners in Spain, the time zone. In the year 1940, Spain switched to Central European Time, however, if you look at the geographical integrity, the timings are closer to Britain. So their sun rises and sets earlier than the time expected.
Long Lunch Traditions
In a lot of regions of Europe, Latin America and the Middle East, lunch has been the biggest meal of the day. Along with it, socialising and rest is often accompanied so late dinners fit the schedule better.
Heat Shapes Eating
In warmer regions, people often avoid going out during the day due to the heat. They wait by evening to go out so dinner gets pushed to later time naturally.
Other Regions Eat Late Too
As stated before, Spain is just an example, multiple regions like Italian, Argentine, German, Austrian, South Asian and Gulf Countries enjoy late dinners.
Why Do Americans Eat Early
Americans have their dinner early in the evening between 5 or 7 pm as a result of their schedules, early workdays, schools and also the farming history. In fact there are several restaurants that provide early-bird specials for people who start their days early.
Snacks That Fill the Gap
Late dinners don’t necessarily mean staying hungry. Many people eat snacks throughout the day. They enjoy a variety of snacks to bridge the wait in between the lunch and the dinner. So really, different regions have different meal cultures which when looked into, could be quite fascinating.
