Why are certain foods for breakfast, but not for lunch or dinner? Why are dinner foods only for dinner?

Question

It obviously goes back to farms, but that answer isn't specific enough. Here's a couple of theories I have:

Eggs are easier to gather in the morning because the chickens have just woken up and they will be moving around away from the eggs. At night, you couldn't have eggs for dinner because the chickens would be sitting on them again.

Bacon can be brought out of a smokehouse so it's quicker than having a steak for dinner and when people get up they are groggy and they want something that doesn't take long to make.

A salad would make more sense for a lunch food because it would take longer to make on a farm since you would have to gather everything together from outside yourself. That still doesn't answer why it couldn't be for dinner, although some people say that people stereotypically want a light lunch to offset the breakfast.

What do you think?

Any theories of your own?

Answer 1

ok, i dont think its about how long at all, there could be a lot of different reasons other than the conveniance, if it was about conveniance wouldnt we all eat oatmeat, salad, and sandwiches? it could be about the protein and vitamins or it could be about the fealing after you eat such things, like eggs and bacon or pancakes make me feal like its gonna be a good day, and gives me energy, salad for lunch is good because it is healthy and quick, that is a on the go meal to me "lunch",and steak or things like turkey make me want to go to bed they relax you that is why i think this is.

Answer 2

Go to IHOP or Denny's.  They serve it all day.

Answer 3

Are you that dumb?!?!?!  Eat whatever you want whenever you want, duh.

Answer 4

we're all passed that though! in this day in age people eat what they want when they want!  wal-mart is open 24 hours!

Answer 5

No answers from me, but some comments.  I reached this page by Googling 'why are certain foods for breakfast?' so I started out having the same question.  I think that tradition is a major factor in this, and there are maybe some common elements and different elements to breakfast around the world.  It's generally easily digestible food.  However, Dutch almost always include tomatoes and English often have baked beans, which would never appear on the American breakfast menu that I am used to.  What did the Dutch do before Columbus discovered the New World and its tomatoes?  East Africans eat some uji--millet porridge, which fits the theme.

One thing I meant to comment on is people stereotypically wanting a light lunch, and the farm connection.  In the USA, much of the confusion between the terms 'lunch,' 'dinner,' and 'supper' is a question of urban vs. rural usage.  In my experience, farming families will have more tendency than others to refer to a noon meal as 'dinner,' and that will be the biggest meal of the day.  In this case, supper is the evening meal and lunch is a snack (never called 'tea'), often not a very light one.  This usage of 'dinner' especially holds true for Sunday dinner, which would be a large meal after church, possibly somewhat later than noon, but not in the evening.

Answer 6

I eat breakfast foods all day, especially pancakes for dinner.