Meal Time Etiquette: Breakfast, Dinner, and Tea in Irish Culture

Meal Time Etiquette: Breakfast, Dinner, and Tea in Irish Culture

Learning Objective

At the end of the lesson you will be able to talk about meal times, breakfast, dinner, and tea in Irish, and understand the associated manners.

What do you already know about meal times and etiquette in Irish culture?

Meal Times in Irish Culture

In Irish culture, breakfast, dinner, and tea are important meal times. Breakfast is 'bricfeasta', dinner is 'dinnéar', and tea is 'tae'.

Traditional Irish Breakfast

A traditional Irish breakfast includes bacon, sausages, eggs, black and white pudding, and soda bread. It is commonly served with tea or coffee.

Dinner Etiquette

In Irish culture, it is polite to wait for the host to start eating before you begin. It is also customary to say 'Sláinte' (meaning 'cheers') before taking a drink.

Tea Time Customs

Tea time in Ireland is a social occasion. It often includes a variety of cakes, scones, and sandwiches, accompanied by a pot of tea.

Irish Manners

In Irish culture, it is customary to greet others with a friendly 'Dia dhuit' (God be with you) and respond with 'Dia is Muire dhuit' (God and Mary be with you).

Interactive Activity: Role-Playing

Divide the class into groups and have them role-play various meal time scenarios, incorporating the Irish meal terms and manners.

Wrap-Up and Review

Recap the key points about meal times, breakfast, dinner, and tea in Irish culture, and review the proper manners and language usage.

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.