The typical British break is 5 o’clock tea

The typical British break is 5 o’clock tea, which is called high tea. The tea is usually fairly strong and eaten together with some cakes or biscuits.
At about 6 o’clock most families have their evening meal or „dinner“. Dinner is the principal meal of the day. It may be cooked or cold, depending on the time of year. There is sometimes soup as the first course then some meat, vegetables and almost always potatoes, which is rather boring. The English are fond of cakes and pies. And there is often a sweet – some kind of pudding or a fruit pie.

Supper is a meal, which the English sometimes have when they come home from the cinema or the theatre late at night. It is always lighter meat. The traditional perception of British cuisine is of overcooked vegetables, tasteless meat and a lot of potatoes. Many families now prefer to eat out at restaurants or cafés or to buy take-away Chinese or Indian meals to eat at home. The selection of foreign food is larger now and there are lots of hamburger chains. They are a nation with a very „sweet tooth“.

Fast food is a typical feature of both British and American life styles. In a restaurant you can eat national dishes, but there are food stalls and places where you can either buy various types of food to eat as you walk along the streets or take it away and eat at home. The Americans call fast food restaurants „cheapies“.

These places – McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken (in America also Mrs. Winner’s) usually offer beverages (Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, tea, coffee, milkshakes…), some solid food like roast chicken and chips, hamburgers, sandwiches, pizza, salads or deserts (apple, cherry pie). The oldest types of fast food are seafood stalls or shops – usually fish and chips. Many types of fish are sold (cod, hake, plaice). Another typical feature of British and American lifestyle is popcorn. You can buy it when walking the streets. Various types of popcorn are sold – either sweet with sugar and other flavors, or cooked with salt.