I know some cultures don't eat until very late at night, but I'm talking to Americans, and maybe more specifically to Utahns. Also, is the hour you eat influenced by having kids? By evening activities? Something else?

In winter it is about 530 or 6. Summer is usually later. Sometimes as late as 930.

I guess I prefer to eat at the hour it gets dark.

My family eats at 5:00, but right now I work until 6:00, so I have to wait until I get home at 6:30. But I eat at 5:00 on the weekends.

If I tried to eat any later than 6:30, I'd wake up with heartburn all night long.

Interesting topic.

For me it varies. I eat dinner when I get home from work. Sometimes it is 8 PM. If I don't have to work, I'll probably have a nice lunch and skip dinner.

When I had kids at home in Mormon land, I wanted to get the whole dinner thing over with ASAP. I'd try to have it ready at 5. Kids have homework and we always had church crap to do.

I've admired the cultures especially in Europe that make dinner a joy and an art. For me it was one more thing to get done before falling into bed exhausted.

Usually somewhere between 6 and 8, maybe later. If I wait too long, I'm no longer hungry.

Our 2 Cocker Spaniels eat at 5PM (they have internal clocks and start begging at about 4:30PM).....and then it's our turn. Back when I was farming I'd eat supper at about 10PM at this time of year when I got home from seeding.

Ron Burr



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/20/2014 09:56PM by Lethbridge Reprobate.

East coast here. I try to get dinner on the table around 6 so there's still time to hang out/finish homework/relax etc so kids can go to bed at a reasonable hour.

On the weekends it's much looser, it's whenever we feel hungry so that may be as late as 8-9 (esp if we had a late lunch).

from work and working out until 7--so after 7.

When my kids were home and in school, they were usually hungry right after school so they ate then and snacked later.

PNW here. I get home most days around 6:30, and we usually eat between 7 and 7:30. Earlier, of course, if I pick dinner up on the way home. If there is a ballgame to go to it can be much later. One weekends it varies greatly depending on what we are doing.

Back when the kids were younger, and we lived in Utah, I used to get home about 5:30 and we would eat by 6 or 6:30.

I'm a believer in the family meal - time to talk, hear about what happened during the day, what's up that night, etc.

And our strange dog eats when we do most days - no matter what time that is. She will not touch a full bowl of food all day, but when we sit down to eat she will go right over and start eating. Just part of the family.

And that is usually late evening, anywhere between 7 and 9 PM. But I'm a night owl. I usually sleep from about 4-6 AM to noon-2 PM. Sometimes it's even later, like 8 AM to 4 PM. I never want to eat in the first few hours after I wake up.

This has become a non-schedule event since I live alone now. Depending on when I get up, (based on how well I slept and when I went to bed) --- breakfast, lunch and dinner are at different times each day.
So the last meal, dinner might be at 5 p.m. or might be at 8 or 9 p.m. I usually try to eat by 7 p.m.

When we had kids at home, dinner was ready to serve when my husband got home from work usually around 5:30 or 6 p.m.

When we all went to church, Sunday dinner was after church which in the second schedule would be after 2 to 3 p.m. with dinner popcorn and chocolate chip cookies at 8 p.m. or so!

It takes me a couple of hours actually . I'm still drinking it now as I post !

Hubby and I eat at 5:00 most days. Earlier on the weekends.

I like to eat between 5:30 to 6:30. That way my food has a chance to digest before I go to bed. If I eat later than 7:00 I will often wake up with GERD. Yuck.

Usually somewhere between 6 and 8.

Sometimes on weekends we have a late lunch/early dinner. That ould be anywhere between 1 and 4.

I asked because my relatives eat earlier than I usually do -- in the 5 to 6 range, while I'm in the 7 to 8 range. But eat breakfast and lunch later, too. Eating breakfast with them at 7AM? Ew, I'm not really awake until 8 and don't feel like eating until 9 at the earliest. So 10, 3 and 8 work fine for me. Or I graze throughout the day. I worked from home for ten years, so I could eat when I wanted. Now I'm retired and can continue with that pattern.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/21/2014 01:22AM by steve benson.

sixer7

When I was raising kids, I used to be off work a bit earlier in the day, so I usually fixed dinner around 4:00 or 5:00 pm.

Now that kids are raised, my habits have changed. Weekdays/ workdays I eat a light breakfast about 8:00 am, usually fruit and raw nuts, occasionally something heavier from the company Cafe like eggs, a breakfast burrito, ect. Then I eat a big lunch, whatever I feel like eating. I don't eat dinner, maybe a snack if I'm feeling hunger.

Weekends, I eat a late breakfast, usually heavier like eggs, meat, toast...sometimes cereal. Then I eat a big dinner around 4 or 5 pm.

Leave work at 5:30. Pick up child at 6. He gets about 15 minutes free time while I cook dinner. Then he finishes homework while I finish dinner. We eat at 7. Around 7:30-7:45ish we start the bedtime routine.

Leave work at 5:30. Pick up child at 6. He gets about 15 minutes free time while I cook dinner. Then he finishes homework while I finish dinner. We eat at 7. Around 7:30-7:45ish we start the bedtime routine.

No later than six...I go to bed early (9 pm) as I get up early for work and can not lie down in bed comfortably after a large meal so tend to keep it light as well.

I sleep SO much better if I stop eating entirely by 6pm. Ambien only works on a truly empty stomach for me.

6:30 7ish

You all sound so civilized paying attention to schedules and the clock. I rarely have any idea what time it is so I eat when I feel I need to/want to. The only things I do by the clock are required events that involve synching up with other people. Following the clock is hard for me even then.

I prefer to be unscheduled too, so I totally understand where you're coming from. I would love to be able to eat based on when I get hungry, instead of by the clock. Unfortunately, I live with too many other people (and animals), and I would become a 24 hour short-order cook if they all did the same. So I deal with mealtimes. But my heart is with you.

5-5:30 most days. Usually later if I'm making dinner after work. We often have a late lunch out on the weekends and skip dinner.

For better mental health, eating at generally the same times is very good for you.
Same with sleeping habits, and even exercise.
It's not a matter of "being civilized", it's part of my personal process of recovering from TSCC's abuse. I am left with more anxiety than is right or normal, and by soothing my body with proper regular care and maintenance, it helps my mental state as well.

To answer the OP, between 7:00 - 8:00pm because of a long commute. I get off track on a lot of the weekends, and I can sure tell by the way I feel when Monday rolls around.

I say that my cats have belly clocks that start to go off around 4:30, but they get fed around 5pm. I eat my dinner anywhere between 6-8pm. Sometimes, if I have a really late lunch, I might have something like a salad or soup for dinner.

Usually between 8-9pm. And we feed the cats their dinner right before that, so they won't bother us while we're eating. :)

I eat dinner anywhere from 6:30 to 9:30.

Preferred time 9pm -- with a nice long conversation lasting till midnight (i.e. like just about every dinner meal I've had in France).