Jan 16

An extension from my previous elevenses post, I guess you can see where my train of thought then headed ?

Although all these naming conventions for mealtimes exist, most have fallen into disuse or misuse, it is quite likely in the UK today for people to eat at times which are most convenient to them, and three meals a day and consistent meal times are no longer really the norm. These mealtimes and conventions were invented when households and familys were more stabily structured than they are today in the uk.

Breakfast : everyone agrees on the timing of this meal, the first meal of the day, which Breaks the Fasting of the sleep period during the night (except if one skips breakfast, and partakes of brunch that is the first meal of the day)

Elevenses or Elevensies : A light meal with tea struck middway between breakfast and the midday meal, therefore in a regularised household routine directly at 11.00am, rarely if ever would anything warm be cooked for elevenses, often served with tea similar to ‘afternoon tea’, as later described. Some may attemptively misdescribe this event as ‘tea’, ‘going for a tea’ or taking a ‘tea break’ all of which, may in no way be classified as ‘Elevenses’. ‘Elevenses’ might rarely even be taken in a garden, though nowhere nearly as much as ‘Afternoon Tea’ which would frequently be taken in a garden in the summer, Elevenses will most often consist of cold light snacks sandwiches etc, combined with tea, but does not contain generally the full sweet edge in its fancy’s foods, that ‘afternoon tea’ is so typified by. Also though very often guests maybe invited to ‘Afternoon tea’, elevenses would generally be taken by those resident in the household at the time, and rarely if ever would one invite guests to elevenses, often this would not include the working men of the household.
(though a mid morning tea break in an office may well be the pale ghost orphan of ‘elevenses’)
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Jan 16

Elevenses should be precisely at 11.00am, hence its name, a light repast struck midway betwixt breakfast and luncheon, the regularity of timings in the households that invented such customs, you could set your watch by, it is not . . . a term . . . which can refer to any miscellaneous snacking that occurs beyond the three understood standard mealtimes, as some misperceive today (not that these standard mealtimes by myself or most people are even well observed today). I once in my youth visited a household that really had elevenses, and they were pretty religious about it, the dependable nature of customs and routines such as elevenses, were im sure to those who observed them, were a genuine comfort and security. But it was also the same household where you saw you father once a term, to explain your school report, and a caining could ensue if it wasnt up to scratch, swings and roundabouts you gain one thing and lose another. Sadly afternoon tea was lost soon after elevenses. Some gentle customs, were in the way of the pace at which so called progress seemed to run.