I guess I never thought much about the actual start of the " 3 meals a day" thing. I more or less figured that it was always that way. I love learning new stuff, especially when the topic is eating!
Three Meals A Day
For those of us in the West, our parents and grandparents have pushed three squares on us for so long that many of us assume that consuming breakfast, lunch, and dinner is how it’s always been. In reality, eating three meals a day is a fairly recent practice that only became popular with the advent of the electric lightbulb. Before then, our third meal was virtually nonexistent since it was difficult to prepare food in the dark. In fact, eating a meal after dark became a symbol of wealth, since it meant a person could afford electricity.
In Ancient Greece, it wasn’t uncommon for people to only eat once a day, and the average Medieval European only had two meals. Those who ate twice usually had a light breakfast of only bread and ale while dinner was consumed in the afternoon. If anything was eaten in the evening, it was usually something small that required little to no preparation. Such eating habits carried into colonial times and were common among agrarian people until the early to mid-20th century.
One good thing about being single and retired, I don't eat according to a clock. Instead I eat when I'm hungry. But then I always drink coffee before going to bed if I want. Doesn't seem to bother me or keep me awake!
Coffee out on the patio this morning. I think the rain has stopped for a bit, so let's enjoy it while we can!
