Ch 37 · Lesson 25Spanish · Chapter 37 · Lesson 25 · Themed review
La comida y sus horas
Lunch at three and dinner at ten: when people eat, the long talk after lunch, tipping, and .
Practise this lesson
20-word session
A quick mix of exercises - recognise, recall, type and build each word. Miss one and it comes back round until it sticks.
Worth knowing
Lunch at three, dinner at ten: the day runs on food
The words for the meals came early. What they do not tell you is when the meals happen, and in Spain especially the clock is two or three hours later than a British stomach expects.
When people eat
| Meal | Spain | Mexico | Elsewhere in Latin America |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 to 9, light: a coffee and some bread | often a proper cooked breakfast | light to medium |
| mid-morning | a second coffee or a snack at 11 | ||
| main meal | , 2 to 3.30, the big meal of the day | , 2 to 4, also the big one | , around 1 |
| afternoon | merienda (an afternoon snack), 5 to 6, especially for children | merienda in Argentina and Uruguay, often with mate | |
| 9 to 10.30, lighter than lunch | 8 to 9, light | around 8, later in |
Watch the word . In most of Latin America it is lunch. In parts of Spain it is that mid-morning snack (in others it means lunch), and in Mexico it can be a late breakfast. Ask what time it is, not what it is called.
The table does not hurry
After a long lunch, nobody gets up. The time spent at the table talking, over coffee and perhaps a glass of something, has its own word: sobremesa. It can last longer than the meal.
That is also why, in a , the waiter does not bring until you ask. Bringing it unasked would be rushing you out. When you are ready: , favor, or a small writing gesture in the air.
Tipping
| Where | |
|---|---|
| Spain | small and optional: round up, or leave a few coins after a good meal |
| Mexico | expected: 10 to 15 per cent |
| and most of Latin America | around 10 per cent, sometimes already on the bill |
Eating standing up
In Spain, a is a small that comes with, or alongside, a drink at the bar, and in some cities, Granada most famously, it comes free with every drink. Going from bar to bar is a whole evening out.
Mexico's equivalent is the street stand: tacos at any hour, eaten on your feet. In Colombia and Venezuela it is the arepa, a round corn cake, often split and filled, for breakfast or for supper.