Visiting during mealtime is generally viewed as a no-no. If you wish to visit American friends at any time, it is customary to first call and ask them if you can "come over". Visiting unannounced is not normally acceptable, unless you are really good friends and even with this level of closeness, it is better to give them a call first just out of courtesy.
If you happen to call during mealtime most American friends might say, "Could you come over in about an hour, because we just sat down to eat dinner". If you should happen to call at this time you should end your call something like this: "Oh, okay. Sorry for disturbing your dinner. See you in about an hour. Bye-bye".
Photo: Personal Archives
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| Eating out American style |
Calling by phone (or any other telecommunications device) at mealtime is also a no-no. Americans living in the USA usually eat dinner anytime between 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. when at home. Lunchtime is usually between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Breakfast is sometime after they get up on weekends or between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. during the week, depending on when and if they work or not. Many Americans eat breakfast out and not at home on weekends, especially on Sundays, and it can be what we call brunch, a word combining a late breakfast and early lunch. You also do not want to call a friend or anyone else while they are eating out, either.
Expatriates (Americans living outside of the USA) sometimes adopt the mealtimes of the host country.
Generally, you would not call your American friends in the early morning hours between 12 midnight to 9 a.m. If it is during the workweek, you should not call at all in the mornings, unless it is really important. You should not call after 9:30 p.m. Most American families would considered this too late in the evening. Even some singles would consider anytime after 9 p.m. too late to call. If you think you can call during the "unacceptable hours", you should have the verbal permission of your friends to do so.
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